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Microbial activity, organic C accumulation and 13C abundance in soils under alley cropping systems after 9 years of recultivation of quaternary deposits

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Abstract

The impact of alley cropping on post-lignite mine soils developing from quaternary deposits after 9 years of recultivation was evaluated on the basis of microbial indicators, organic C and total N contents, and the isotope characteristics of soil C. Soils were sampled at the 0 to 3, 3 to 10, and 10 to 30 cm depths under black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), poplar (Populus spp.), the transition zone and in the middle of alley under rye (Secale cereale). There was no significant effect of vegetation on microbial properties presumably, due to the high variability, whereas organic C and total N contents at the 0- to 3-cm layer were significantly higher under black locust and poplar than in the transition zone and rye field. Organic C total N contents, and basal respiration, microbial biomass, and microbial quotient decreased with soil depth. Soil organic C and total N contents were more than doubled after 9 years of recultivation, with annual C and N accretion rate of 162 g C org m−2 year−1 and 6 g N t m−2 year−1. Microbial properties indicated that the soils are in early stages of development; the C isotope characteristics confirmed that the sequestered C was predominantly from C3 plants of the alley cropping.

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Acknowledgements

The manuscript is based on a contribution to the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly meeting of 2008 under section SSS27: Soil quality indicators to assess genesis, degradation and rehabilitation processes.

The authors are highly grateful to G. Franke, R. Müller, H. Köller, and K. Weber at the Chair of Soil Protection and Recultivation, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany for the laboratory assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chair of Soil Protection and Recultivation, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany

    Seth Nii-Annang, Holger Grünewald, Dirk Freese, Reinhard F. Hüttl & Oliver Dilly

  2. Johann Heinrich von Thuenen-Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries, Institute for Forest Genetics, Sieker Landstr. 2, 22927, Grosshansdorf, Germany

    Holger Grünewald

  3. National Research Center for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany

    Reinhard F. Hüttl

  4. School of Integrated Climate System Sciences, KlimaCampus, University of Hamburg, Grindelberg 5, 20144, Hamburg, Germany

    Oliver Dilly

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  1. Seth Nii-Annang
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Correspondence to Seth Nii-Annang.

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Nii-Annang, S., Grünewald, H., Freese, D. et al. Microbial activity, organic C accumulation and 13C abundance in soils under alley cropping systems after 9 years of recultivation of quaternary deposits. Biol Fertil Soils 45, 531–538 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-009-0360-4

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