After the application of compost manure in crop fields, unavailable forms of soil macro-nutrients like Phosphorus, Nitrogen, Potassium will be changed to available forms due to microbial activity. Soil micro-nutrients play a crucial role for maintaining long term sustainability of soil. I would like to properly investigate the soil micro-nutrients' availability or changes due to microbial metabolism.
I shall be thankful to you for your suggestions and advice.
Soil is a very complex media and even more complex is the interaction of plant roots with the rhizosphere around it. Plant root release certain phenolic compounds that act as signal for the soil microbes to start a mutual beneficial relationship. The phenolic compounds also creates acidic environment in the rhizosphere which helps the bacteria to break down the non-available nitrogen and phosphorus and improves the soil profile.
Are you looking to establish an experiment or long term observation looking at the relationship between changes in micronutrients and microbial metabolism?
I agree with Imran that the soil is highly complex, particularly around the rhizosphere. Microbial activity drives the cycling of both macro and micro nutrients in most soils, everything from their initial release from parent material, to their form in soils, to the cycling and retention.
Dear Dr. Habib, Thanks for your kind attention... But I am asking about effects of Organic manure residue on "Soil MICRONUTRIENT(Fe, Zn, Cu, Mg)" changes, and its availability..
I would think that, in theory anyway, increased microbial activity would move a soil along its development pathway faster. So a place to start might be to look at chronosequences for the soil type you are interested in. But how are you planning on isolating the effect of the bacterial activity from the effect of changing soil chemistry with the addition of manure?
Dear Dr. Lincoln, Thanks for your reply..
As I already mentioned in my query, how will treatment of compost manure on crop field, alter the MICRO-NUTRIENTS (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mg) dynamics due to microbial metabolism? and in what time interval should be monitor micro-nutrient changes in manure treated field...(I m investigating the effects of manure on Micro-nutrient availability and changes in organic manure treated fields.)
Regards,
There is a great book that looks at changes in soil based on management techniques over a very long time frame, and to me was priceless on understanding the timeframe that soils stabilize under. I donʻt think they go into micronutrients much but it still might give you a better idea of how long the changes will take to see well. As with most science I assume that your time for monitoring will be limited. But if you can look at the incremental changes over time I think you should be able to begin to fit a curve that will imply what will happen in the future with a continued treatment.
Another very interesting aspect will be the short term temporal dynamics. Depending where your field site is Iʻm sure there will be changes in temperature and rainfall throughout the year, which will change the bacterial dynamics and micro-nutrient availability as well. I would think youʻd want to do at least two and up to four time samplings per year, and monitor at the same times each year for at least two to five years. I would think that would give ample data to make some good statements about what is going on with the treatments, the role of climate, and what the long term effects might be.
Understanding Soil Change
Soil Sustainability over Millennia, Centuries, and Decades
Authors:
Daniel D. Richter, Jr, Duke University, North Carolina
Daniel Markewitz, University of Georgia
isbn: 9780521039437
microorganisms from soil and added organic manures together play a important role in building up soil structure and responsible for soil aggregate formation which in turn increases the soil water holding capacity, and up course enhancement of nutrients.
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