home    about    browse    search    latest    help 
Login | Create Account

Effects of conventionally bred and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize varieties on soil microbial biomass and activity

Fliessbach, Andreas; Messmer, Monika; Nietlispach, Bruno; Infante, Valentina and Mäder, Paul (2011) Effects of conventionally bred and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize varieties on soil microbial biomass and activity. Effects of conventionally bred and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), -, pp. 1-10.

[thumbnail of Paper] PDF - English (Paper)
Limited to [Depositor and staff only]

303kB

Document available online at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/b26063263u017316/fulltext.pdf


Summary

Abstract
Genetically modified (GM) maize containing genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was cultivated on 29% of the total maize production area worldwide in 2009. Most studies to date compare Bt-maize varieties with their near isogenic lines; however, there is little information on the variability of conventional maize breeding lines and how the effects of Bt varieties are ranked within. In our study on the potential risks of Bt-maize varieties, we analyzed tissue quality and compared the effects of ten conventional and GM maize varieties on soil microbiological properties in a replicated climate chamber experiment. All maize varieties were cultivated twice in the same soil microcosm. Shoot yields and soluble C in leaf tissue of Bt varieties were higher than the ones of non-Bt. Soil dehydrogenase activity was reduced by 5% under Bt varieties compared to non-Bt, while most of the other soil microbial properties (soil microbial biomass, basal respiration) showed no significant differences between Bt and non-Bt varieties. The leaves and roots of one Bt variety were decomposed to a greater extent than the ones of its near isogenic line; the conventional breeding lines also showed higher values. Changes in crop and soil parameters were found when comparing the first and the second crops, but the effects of repeated cropping were the same for all tested varieties. For the studied parameters, the variation among non- Bt-maize varieties was similar to the difference between Bt and non-Bt varieties.


EPrint Type:Journal paper
Keywords:Bt-maize, Soil fertility, Cry1Ab, GMO,Microbial biomass, Soil respiration, Dehydrogenase, Mycorrhiza
Subjects: Soil > Soil quality > Soil biology
Crop husbandry > Production systems > Cereals, pulses and oilseeds
Crop husbandry > Breeding, genetics and propagation
Research affiliation:Chile
Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Soil
ISSN:DOI 10.1007/s00374-011-0625-6
Related Links:http://www.springerlink.com/content/b26063263u017316/fulltext.pdf
Deposited By: Winter, Carmen
ID Code:19991
Deposited On:09 Dec 2011 20:13
Last Modified:12 Jan 2021 14:32
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics