EFFECT OF TIMING SLASHING, BURNING AND SOIL AMENDMENT ON SOIL MICROBES
Abstract
Various challenges face the sustainability of soil ecosystem. This research was carried out to assess the impact of burning and application of cow dung on soil microbes. Soil samples were taken from three different locations: Afugiri, Lodu and Umudike. The study comprised of two experiments. The focus of the first experiment was to check the effect of slash and burn on soil pH, organic matter, microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP) and soil microbes. Result obtained showed that burning affected soil pH, organic matter and MBP and microbial population. Burning reduced the organic matter content of soil, and increased soil pH. The results of the microbial biomass showed that burning was disadvantageous to the sustainability of soil ecosystem. However, in the second experiment, cowdung and fortified cowdung amendment were applied to determine the effect of organic amendment on soil microbes. Cowdung significantly affected bacteria population and number of earthworm species. Bacterial species have more population than fungal species. The results from this study indicate that burning in agricultural land increases soil pH, but have the capacity to destroy beneficial microbes and reduce those activities carried out by them.
References
Adeyolanu, O. D., Oluwatosin, K. S., Ayoola, O. T. and Adelana, A. O. ( 2013). Evaluation of two methods of soil quality assessment as influenced by slash and burn in tropical rainforest ecology of Nigeria. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science, 59 (12): 1725 – 1742. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2012.760037
Aref, I. M., Atta, H. A. and Ghamade, A. R. (2011). Effect of forest fires on tree diversity and some soil properties. Int J Agric Biol Eng 13:659–664.
Bray, R. H. and Kurtz, L. T. (1945). Determination of total organic and available forms of phosphate in soils. Soil Sci. 59:39-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-194501000-00006
Carballas, T., Martin, A., and Diaz-Raviña, M. (2009). Effect of forest fires on soils in Galicia. 3.6: 271-301. Effects of forest fires on soils in Spain. University of Valencia , 529 .
Certini, G. (2005). Effects of fire on properties of forest soils - a review. Oecologia 143:1–10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1788-8
Cheesbrough, M. (2006). District laboratory practice in tropical countries, part 2. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. PP. 137-150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511543470
Das S, Jeong ST, Kim PJ (2017). Composted cattle manure increases microbial activity and soil fertility more than composted swine manure in a submerged rice paddy. Front. Microbiol. 8: 1–10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01702
Ebel, R. (2018). Effects of Slash-and-Burn-Farming and a Fire-Free Management on a Cambisol in a Traditional Maya Farming System. CIENCIA ergo-sum, Revista Científica Multidisciplinaria de Prospectiva, Vol. 25, No. 2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30878/ces.v25n2a5
Fonseca, F., de Figueiredo, T., Nogueira, C., Queirós, A. (2017). Effect of prescribed fire on soil properties and soil erosion in a Mediterranean mountain area. Geoderma 307:172–180. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.06.018
Garcia-Oliva, F., Sanford Jr, R. and Kelly, E. (2014). Effect of burning of tropical deciduous forest soil in Mexico on the microbial degradation of organic matter. Plant Soil 206, 29-36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004390202057
Ge. Y., Zhang, J. B., Zhang, L. M., Yang, M., He, J. Z. (2008). Long-term fertilization regimes affect bacterial community structure and diversity of an agricultural soil in northern China. J. Soil Sediment 8: 43–50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1065/jss2008.01.270
Gliessman, S. (2014). Agroecology: The ecology of sustainable food systems (3rd ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/b17881
González-Pérez, J. A., González-Vila, F. J., Almendros, G. and Knicker, H. (2004). The effect of fire on soil organic matter—a review. Environ. Int. 30(6):855–870. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2004.02.003
Hebel, C. L., Smith, J. E. and Cromack, K. K. Jr (2009). Invasive plant species and soil microbial response to wildfire burn severity in the Cascade Range of Oregon. ApplSoilEcol 42:150–159. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2009.03.004
Khan, K. S., Ali, M. M., Naveed, M., Rehmani, M. I. A., Shafique, M. W., Ali, H. M., Abdelsalam, N. R., Ghareeb, R. Y. and Feng, G. (2022), Co-application of organic amendments and inorganic P increase maize growth and soil carbon, phosphorus availability in calcareous soil. Front. Environ. Sci. 10:949371. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.949371
Korb, J.E., Johnson, N. C.and Covington, W. W.(2004). Slash pile burning effects on soil biotic and chemical properties and plant establishment: recommendations for amelioration. Restoration Ecology 12, 52–62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1061-2971.2004.00304.x
Lai, R. and Cummings, D.(2010). Clearing a tropical forest I. Effects on soil and micro-climate. Field Crops Res. 2, 91-107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4290(79)90012-1
Manral, V., Bargali, K., Bargali, S. S. and Shahi, C. (2020). Changes in soil biochemical properties following replacement of Banj oak forest with Chir pine in Central Himalaya, India. Ecol Process 9:30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-020-00235-8
Mariaca, R. (2011). La milpa en el sur de México. Ecofronteras, 42, 22-26.
Mataix-Solera, J., Guerrero, C., Garcia-Orenes, F. and Barcenas, G. M. (2009). Forest fire effects on soil microbiology. In: Fire effects on soils and restoration strategies. Edited by Carda A., Robichaud, P. 133-175. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781439843338-c5
Moyin-Jesu, E. I.(2007). Effect of some organic fertilizers on soil and coffee (Coffea arabica L.) chemical composition and growth. Univ. Khartoum. J. Agric. Sci., 15: 52-70.
Munnoli ,P. M. and Bhosle, S. (2009). Effect of soil and cow dung proportion on vermi-composting by deep burrower and surface feeder species. Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research. Vol. 68, pp. 57-60.
NRCRI (2014). Agrometeorologic Unit. National Root Crop Research Institute, Umudike, Umuahia, Abia State
Nye, P. and Greenland, D. (2013). The soil under shifting cultivation. Technical Communication No. 51. Commonwealth Agriculture.
Ojo, A. O., Adetunji, M. T., Okeleye, K. A., and Adejuyigbe, C. O. (2016). The effect of poultry manure and P fertilizer on some phosphorus fractions in some soils of southwestern Nigeria: An incubation study. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 47, 2365–2377. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00103624.2016.1216559
Oluwadare, D. A., Voncir, N., Mustapha, S. and Agele, S. O. (2013). Effects of organic and mineral fertilizers on soil chemical properties, growth and yield of pop corn (Zea mays everta) in a Northern Guinea Savanna Zone of Nigeria. J Sustainable Technology. 4(2):87–103.
Onijigin, E. O., Fasina, A. S., Oluwadare, D. A., Ogbonnaya, U. O., Ogunleye, K. S. and Omoju, O. J. (2016). Influence of Fallow Ages on Soil Properties at the Forest-Savanna Boundary in South Western Nigeria. International Journal of Plant & Soil Science 10(1): 1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/IJPSS/2016/23551
Onwuka, M. I., Okereke, J. C. and Fashola, M. S. (2019). Cow Dung Forms and their Effect on Microbial Community of Degraded Ultisols of some Smallholder Women Farmers’ Fields in the Rainforest Zone of Nigeria. Direct Research Journal of Agriculture and Food Science (DRJAFS). Vol.7 (6), pp. 110-116.
Pace, J. L. (2014). Analytical approaches to the characterization of samples of microbial communities using patterns of potential C source utilization. Soil Biol. Biochem. 28: 213- 221. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-0717(95)00112-3
Qin, Q. and Liu, Y. (2021). Changes in microbial communities at different soil depths through the first rainy season following severe wildfire in North China artificial Pinus tabulaeformis forest. Journal of Environmental Management. 280:111865. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111865
Saccá, M. L., Caracciolo, A. B., Di Lenola, M., Grenni, P. (2017). Ecosystem services provided by soil microorganisms. In Soil biological communities and ecosystem resilience. Cham: Springer, 9–24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63336-7_2
Styger, E. (2004). Fire-less alternatives to slashand-burn agriculture (tavy) in the rainforest region of Madagascar. PhD dissertation, Department of Crop and Soil Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Tayyab, M., Islam, W., Khalil, F., Ziqin, P., Caifang, Z., Arafat, Y., Hui, L., Rizwan, M., Ahmad, K., Waheed, S., Tarin, M. W. K., Hua, Z. (2018). Biochar: An efficient way to manage low water availability in plants. Appl. Ecol. Environ. Res. 2018, 16, 2565–2583. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15666/aeer/1603_25652583
Ubuoh, E. A., Ejekwolu, C. C. and Onuigbo, I. V. (2017). The Effect of Burnt and Un-burnt Land on Soil Physicochemical Characteristics in Ekeya-Okobo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. J. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manage. Vol. 21 (5) 923-929. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v21i5.18
Ulery, A. L. and Graham, R.C. (1993). Forest fire effects soil color and texture. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 57, 135–140. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1993.03615995005700010026x
Verma, S. and Jayakumar, S. (2012). Impact of forest fire on physical, chemical and biological properties of soil: a review. PIAEES 2(3):168–176.
Copyright (c) 2022 FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
FUDMA Journal of Sciences
