Effects of Different Straw Incorporation Amounts on Soil Organic Carbon, Microbial Biomass, and Enzyme Activities in Dry-Crop Farmland

Abstract

The direct input of straw to the field can increase the source and supply of soil carbon and nitrogen, change the soil microbial biomass and enzyme activity, and affect the soil organic carbon sequestration, which in turn affects soil fertility and quality. In this study, a three-year field orientation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of straw input on soil microbial biomass, enzyme activity, and soil organic carbon at different straw incorporation amounts (0, 3000, 7000, and 14,000 kg/hm2). The results showed that soil microbial biomass, enzyme activity, and organic carbon content increased with the increase in straw amount, and the increase in 4-fold straw input (T4) treatment was significantly larger than that of other treatments; the microbial biomass, enzyme activity, and SOC (soil organic carbon) in different soil layers were 0–10 cm > 10–20 cm > 20–30 cm; and straw incorporation amounts had a significant effect on soil microbial biomass, enzyme activity, and SOC. The amount of straw input to the field had a highly significant positive effect on soil microbial carbon and nitrogen and SOC (p < 0.001). In conclusion, four times the amount of straw input to the field had the most obvious effect on enhancing soil organic carbon content, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity. This has important implications for the development of sustainable agriculture.