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The interdependent effects of solar disinfestation and compost maturity level on soil microbial activity

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Abstract

The combined effects of soil solarization and application of compost of various maturity levels upon soil microbial activity were studied under field conditions during 2010–2012. Eight treatments were divided into solarized and non-solarized treatments, and each was either non-amended or annually amended with compost at 6 kg (DW) m-2. The composts were mature, partially mature, or immature. In all three tested parameters of microbial activity (respiration rate, heat output, and dehydrogenase activity) the immature compost showed higher activity than the other compost types. Soil samples were collected weekly in order to assess microbial activity, which was evaluated from measurements of soil respiration rate, heat output, and dehydrogenase activity. Significant and year-to-year reproducible differences in all three parameters were observed between soils amended with the three compost types. Some residual (carry-over) effects of previous-year treatments were obtained. Microbial activity decreased in both solarized and non-solarized treatments during the experimental period, probably because of increasing summer temperatures, but the decline was sharper in the solarized treatments probably due to oxygen deficiency under the tarp. Significantly higher activity was found in the treatments amended with the immature compost, both in the solarized and non-solarized treatments. This could be a result of the high level of dissolved organic matter in the immature compost, which enhanced microbial activity.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a grant (US-4266-09R) from the US-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) to MR and DM. We thank Professor Y. Katan for his help and Dr. R. Cohen and Dr. E. Cytrin for a critical reading of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agroecology and Plant Health, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 76100, Israel

    Housam Kanaan

  2. Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Newe Ya’ar Research Center, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel

    Housam Kanaan, Shlomit Medina, Arkady Krasnovsky & Michael Raviv

  3. Institute for Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, the Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Dror Minz

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  1. Housam Kanaan
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  2. Dror Minz
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  3. Shlomit Medina
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  4. Arkady Krasnovsky
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  5. Michael Raviv
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Correspondence to Michael Raviv.

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Kanaan, H., Minz, D., Medina, S. et al. The interdependent effects of solar disinfestation and compost maturity level on soil microbial activity. Phytoparasitica 44, 55–64 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-015-0501-2

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