HREVUŠOVÁ, Z., HAKL, J., MARTINEK, J., MRKVIČKA, J.: Cellulose and cutisin decomposition in soil of Alopecuretum meadow. Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun., 2012, LX, No. 6, pp. 129–134 Plant litter decomposition is a fundamental process to ecosystem functioning regulated by both abiotic and biotic factors. The aim of this study was to determine the decomposition of cellulose and protein (cutisin) substrates on permanent Alopecuretum meadow under diff erent methods of management. The treatments were following: 2 × cut, 2 × cut + NPK, 2 × mulch, 1 × cut, 1 × mulch (frequency of mowing per year) and no-treated plots. Cutting or mulching was carried out in October, under the 2 × cut management also in May. In 2007–2009, cellulose and cutisin in mesh bags were placed in the soil and kept from April to October. Total mean ratios of decomposed cellulose and cutisin were 83 % and 40 % of primal substrate weight, respectively. The cellulose decomposition was aff ected by weather conditions, but not by applied management. The highest mean ratio of decomposed cellulose was found in 2009 (with increased amount of precipitation in May and July), the lowest in 2007. Coeffi cients of variation within a year and over the years were up to 22 % and 20 %, respectively. The cutisin decomposition was signifi cantly aff ected by applied management in all three years. Higher rates of decomposition were noted in two times mowed treatments compared to one or not mowed treatments. Signifi cant diff erences were found between years in 2× cut and 2 × cut + NPK treatments. Coeffi cients of variation within the year and over the years were both higher by cutisin than by cellulose samples (up to 50 and 42 %, respectively). permanent grassland, protein decomposition, management, fertilization, mulching, frequency of mowing Plant litter decomposition is a fundamental process to ecosystem functioning being responsible of carbon, nitrogen and other nutrients cycling (VIRZO DE SANTO et al., 2009). Microbial decomposition is regulated by both abiotic factors (climatic conditions and soil chemical and physical properties) and biotic factors (litter quality and microbial community composition). Size and activity of the soil microbial community are determined by location (ALLISON et al., 2007), soil temperature (KIRSCHBAUM, 1995), moisture (DRENOVSKY et al., 2004), soil pH (HOPKINS et al., 1990), content of soil carbon (UHLÍŘOVÁ et al., 2005), nitrogen (KEELER et al., 2009), phosphorus (VERESOGLOU et al., 2011), and others nutrients such as calcium and manganese (VIRZO DE SANTO et al., 2009), etc. For example, the bacterial community o en favors high soil fertility and nutrient availability and the fungi prefer low soil fertility (GRAYSTON et al., 2004). For a given ecosystem, the litter decomposition is mostly aff ected by litter quality (LIU et al., 2010). High variability exists between plant species (EISENHAUER and SCHÄDLER, 2011), between individual plants of the same species and between various organs on the same plant (ABIVEN et al., 2005) in depending on diff erences in litter chemistry. In general, litters with higher N-concentrations decompose faster (LIU et al., 2010). Fast decomposed labile fractions such as cellulose and hemicellulose may be degraded in few months (BERG, 2000). Recalcitrant plant materials are lignin and modifi ed lignin-like humifi cation products (VIRZO DE SANTO et al., 2009). In this way, plant 130 Hrevušová, Z., Hakl, J., Martinek, J., Mrkvička, J. composition of stand can aff ect soil microorganisms very considerably. Carbon availability for microbe is also determined by plant root exudation and secretion, particularly in sites where carbon is lacking (GRAYSTON et al., 1996). In turn, plants mineral nutrition is o en mediated by association with microorganisms, e.g. mycorrhizal fungi and N2 fi xators (LARIMER et al., 2010). Increased diversity of plant derived resources increases the diversity of decomposers and herbivores in soil, which in turn promotes the diversity of other components of the soil food web (EISENHAUER et al., 2011). Higher decomposer diversity o en aids in higher ecosystem stability (EISENHAUER and SCHÄDLER, 2011). Microbial biomass and enzyme activities are also aff ected by management practices (e.g. grazing, frequency of cutting, mulching, organic and mineral fertilizers application, and grassland restoration). Changes in microbial-community structure a er nutrient application, mainly nitrogen, are o en discussed. Nitrogen addition can infl uence decomposition process through the direct infl uence of inorganic N availability on microbial activity or indirectly through changes in the quality of decomposing litter (LIU et al., 2010). Long-term nitrogen addition experiments have found both positive and negative and neutral eff ects of added N on decomposition (KEELER et al., 2009) in dependence on other above mentioned factors, mainly on litter quality. The litter decomposition can also be infl uenced by phosphorus application (VERESOGLOU et al., 2011). Both fertilization and frequency of cutting determine plant biomass production and, thus, litter inputs in soil and decomposition rate (WANG et al., 2011). Defoliation aff ects also root morphology, exudation (GUITIAN and BARDGETT, 2000) and plant litter quality. Under mulching, the cut biomass in addition stays on stubble and can change the physical (KVÍTEK et al., 2000) and chemical soil conditions. As was mentioned above, relations among litter decomposition and sward management are closely related to the botanical composition of sward and locality conditions. The previous experiments with substrate decomposition under diff erent stand management were conducted mainly for mountain meadows (UHLÍŘOVÁ et al., 2005) but humid high yielding meadows were investigated rarely. The objective of this study was to found the amount of decomposed cellulose and protein substrates during a growing period of Alopecuretum meadow. We evaluated long term eff ect of fertilization, not harvesting, diff erent frequencies of cutting and mulching on this value of decomposed organic matter. MATERIALS AND METHODS The experiment area is located near Černíkovice village (49°46‘27“N, 14°34‘52“E, 363 m a.s.l.), in Benešov district. Mean annual temperature of the locality is 8.1 °C and mean annual precipitation is 600 mm. The soil at the site is fl uvisol/gleysol with a loamy texture, the content of soil organic matter is around 37 g kg−1, and pH (H2O) 5.7. The experiment plot is a part of fertile meadow with high and fl uctuating level of underground water. The meadow belongs to Alopecuretum stand type. The experiment was established in 2001 in six followed treatments: 2 × cut, 2 × cut + NPK, 2 × mulch, 1 × cut, 1 × mulch and no-treated plots. It has block design with four replications. The two times treated plots were cut or mulched in May and October, the once treated plots only in October. The applied NPK fertilizing was added in doses 100 kg N ha−1 (as a limestone ammonium nitrate), 40 kg P ha−1 (as a triple super phosphate) and 100 kg K ha−1 (as a potash chloride) per year. Cellulose represents a polysaccharide; whereas cutisin is a protein substratum (16–17 % N) based on collagen. Cutisin is produced from calcimine by mechanical and chemical treating. The proportions of decomposed cellulose and cutisin were evaluated on eight samples for each treatment. Filter papers of weight 39.6 g, as a source of cellulose, were fold up in square (125 × 125 mm). Lower weight of the fi lter paper could meant enhanced danger of whole sample decomposition. Squares of cutisin (100 × 100 mm) weighted 1.5 g. Both fi lter paper and cutisin were together packed in mesh bags (mesh size 5 mm; bag size around 160 × 160 mm). The bags were vertically put into 10– 14 mm deep groove in the sward. The samples were in the soil for six months (from April to October). A er samples were taking out, they were carefully cleaned and dried at 105 °C to constant weight. The percentage of decomposed matter was calculated from the decrease of the organic substrate weight. The data were evaluated by one-way ANOVA tests and Post-hoc HSD tests for unequal n. For variability presentation, the coeffi cients of variation (CV) were used. CV is defi ned as the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean value. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Total mean weights of decomposed cellulose and cutisin in six months were 32.9 g (83 % of primal weight) and 0.6 g (40 % of primal weight), respectively. However protein substrate cutisin is mechanically and chemically adjusted during production. From this reason, cutisin could be decomposed in diff erent rate than natural protein. These values were used only for comparison of various management among each other in this experiment. The cellulose decomposition was aff ected by weather conditions, but not by applied management (Tables I and II). Many studies, e.g. UHLÍŘOVÁ et al. (2005) and WANG et al. (2011), noted signifi cant eff ect of applied management to microbial activity. The reason for no-signifi cant eff ect of management on cellulose decomposition in our experiment Cellulose and cutisin decomposition in soil of Alopecuretum meadow 131 could be a longer time of conducted tests because this eff ect could be evident only in earlier stages of decomposition. The signifi cant eff ect of year condition on the cellulose decomposition was described by UHLÍŘOVÁ et al. (2005) and HONSOVÁ et al. (2007). In our experiment, the highest mean ratio of decomposed cellulose was found in 2009, the lowest in 2007. It could be a consequence of increased amount of precipitation in 2009 (especially in May and July) than in 2007 and 2008. This eff ect was not stabile across variants of management where 1 × and 2 × cut treatments had highest values in 2008. The lowest values for 2 × cut and 2 × mulch variant were measured in 2009 and 2008, respectively. The average coeffi cients of variation
Cellulose and cutisin decomposition in soil of Alopecuretum meadow
Zuzana Hrevušová,J. Hakl,J. Martinek,J. Mrkvicka
Published 2012 in Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis
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