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Temporal Variability and the Effect of Fertilization on Biochemical Properties of a Grassland Soil from Galicia (NW Spain)

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Soil Enzymology in the Recycling of Organic Wastes and Environmental Restoration

Part of the book series: Environmental Science and Engineering ((ENVSCIENCE))

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of soil management, particularly inorganic fertilizer, and to monitor the temporal variability of soil biochemical properties in two grassland plots under contrasting management and located next to each other, trying to link climate and soil biochemical properties. We recorded the following biochemical properties: labile carbon, microbial biomass-C, soil basal respiration, net nitrogen mineralization, and catalase, dehydrogenase, CM-cellulase, β-glucosidase, invertase, casein-protease, BAA-protease, urease, phosphodiesterase, phosphomonoesterase and arylsulphatase activities. Soil microbial activity was higher in the unfertilized plot than in the fertilized plot. Seasonal patterns were identified for some biochemical properties, especially when they were expressed on an organic carbon basis. Additionally, an equation to assess soil quality showed that the unfertilized plot had better quality that the fertilized plot. Our data show that temporal variability should be taken into account when using soil biochemical properties as indicators of soil quality.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financed by the Xunta de Galicia (Project XUGA 40003B94) and by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (Project BTE 2001-0987). J. Paz-Ferreiro thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education for financial support (FPU grant).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Edafología y Química Agrícola, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, E-15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Jorge Paz-Ferreiro, M. Carmen Leirós, Socorro Seoane & Fernando Gil-Sotres

  2. Departamento de Bioquímica del Suelo, IIAG-CSIC, Apartado 122, E-15780, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Carmen Trasar-Cepeda

Authors
  1. Jorge Paz-Ferreiro
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  2. Carmen Trasar-Cepeda
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  3. M. Carmen Leirós
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  4. Socorro Seoane
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  5. Fernando Gil-Sotres
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jorge Paz-Ferreiro .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Bioquimica del Suelo, Investigac. Agrobiol. de, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Apartado 122, Santiago de Compostela, 15780, Spain

    Carmen Trasar-Cepeda

  2. , Department of Soil and Water Conservatio, CEBAS-CSIC, Espinardo, Spain

    Teresa Hernández

  3. , Department of Soil and Water Conservatio, CEBAS-CSIC, Espinardo, Spain

    Carlos García

  4. Fac. Ciencias, Depto. Microbiología, Universidad de Burgos, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, Burgos, 09001, Spain

    Carlos Rad

  5. , Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, University of Burgos, Cantabria Av., Burgos, 09006, Spain

    Salvador González-Carcedo

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Paz-Ferreiro, J., Trasar-Cepeda, C., Leirós, M.C., Seoane, S., Gil-Sotres, F. (2011). Temporal Variability and the Effect of Fertilization on Biochemical Properties of a Grassland Soil from Galicia (NW Spain). In: Trasar-Cepeda, C., Hernández, T., García, C., Rad, C., González-Carcedo, S. (eds) Soil Enzymology in the Recycling of Organic Wastes and Environmental Restoration. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21162-1_9

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