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Effects of Cd, Zn, or both on soil microbial biomass and activity in a clay loam soil

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Abstract

We investigated Cd, Zn, and Cd + Zn toxicity to soil microbial biomass and activity, and indigenous Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii, in two near neutral pH clay loam soils, under long-term arable and grassland management, in a 6-month laboratory incubation, with a view to determining the causative metal. Both soils were amended with Cd- or Zn-enriched sewage sludge, to produce soils with total Cd concentrations at four times (12 mg Cd g−1 soil), and total Zn concentrations (300 mg Zn kg−1 soil) at the EU upper permitted limit. The additive effects of Cd plus Zn at these soil concentrations were also investigated. There were no significant differences in microbial biomass C (B C), biomass ninhydrin N (B N), ATP, or microbial respiration between the different treatments. Microbial metabolic quotient (defined as qCO2 = units of CO2–C evolved unit−1 biomass C unit−1 time) also did not differ significantly between treatments. However, the microbial maintenance energy (in this study defined as qCO2-to-μ ratio value, where μ is the growth rate) indicated that more energy was required for microbial synthesis in metal-rich sludge-treated soils (especially Zn) than in control sludge-treated soils. Indigenous R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii numbers were not significantly different between untreated and sludge-treated grassland soils after 24 weeks regardless of metal or metal concentrations. However, rhizobial numbers in the arable soils treated with metal-contaminated sludges decreased significantly (P < 0.05) compared to the untreated control and uncontaminated sludge-treated soils after 24 weeks. The order of decreasing toxicity to rhizobia in the arable soils was Zn > Cd > Cd + Zn.

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Acknowledgments

Rothamsted Research receives grant-aided support from the Biological and Biotechnological Sciences Research Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, University of Florence, P.le delle Cascine, 28-50144, Florence, Italy

    Giancarlo Renella, Loretta Landi & Paolo Nannipieri

  2. Agriculture and Environment Division, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts., AL5 2JQ, UK

    Amar M. Chaudri, Céline M. Falloon & Philip C. Brookes

Authors
  1. Giancarlo Renella
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  2. Amar M. Chaudri
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  3. Céline M. Falloon
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  4. Loretta Landi
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  5. Paolo Nannipieri
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  6. Philip C. Brookes
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Correspondence to Amar M. Chaudri.

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Renella, G., Chaudri, A.M., Falloon, C.M. et al. Effects of Cd, Zn, or both on soil microbial biomass and activity in a clay loam soil. Biol Fertil Soils 43, 751–758 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-006-0159-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-006-0159-5

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