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Soil microbial communities and activities under intensive organic and conventional vegetable farming in West Java, Indonesia

Moeskops, Bram; -, Sukristiyonubowo; Buchan, David; Sleutel, Steven; Herawaty, Lenita; Husen, Edi; Saraswati, Rasti; Setyorini, Diah and De Neve, Stefaan (2010) Soil microbial communities and activities under intensive organic and conventional vegetable farming in West Java, Indonesia. Applied Soil Ecology, 45 (2), pp. 112-120.

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Summary

We compared the effect of organic and conventional farming practices on soil microbial dynamics in West Java, Indonesia. A secondary forest was included to obtain natural reference values. On the organic farms, soil fertility is maintained mainly with composted organic matter in contrast to conventional farmers who combine fresh manure and chemical fertilizers, and typically apply large amounts of pesticides. Parameters measured were dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, acid phosphomonoesterase and β-glucosaminidase activity, microbial biomass C (MBC) and microbial community composition by phospholipid fatty acid analysis. A strong negative impact of intensive chemical fertilizer and pesticide use on soil enzyme activities was demonstrated. Dehydrogenase and β-glucosidase activities were correlated with soil organic matter content and pH. β-glucosidase activity under organic management approached that under forest, while MBC and dehydrogenase activity remained higher under forest. The composition of the soil microbial community strongly differed between forest and cultivated soil, a clear difference in composition was also observed between conventional and organic farming. Dehydrogenase activity and C16:1ω5c, marker fatty acid for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, appeared to be particularly suited as indicators of the impact of management on soil quality and on the soil microbial community.


EPrint Type:Journal paper
Subjects: Soil > Soil quality
Research affiliation:Other countries
Belgium
ISSN:0929-1393
DOI:10.1016/j.apsoil.2010.03.005
Deposited By: Moeskops, Bram
ID Code:17041
Deposited On:21 Apr 2010 06:52
Last Modified:23 Jan 2012 10:06
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted

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