Abstract
In the present study, long-term organic and conventional managements were compared at the experimental field of Monsampolo del Tronto (Marche region, Italy) with the aim of investigating soil chemical fertility and microbial community structure. A polyphasic approach, combining soil fertility indicators with microbiological analyses (plate counts, PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis [DGGE] and phospholipid fatty acid analysis [PLFA]) was applied. Organic matter, N as well as some important macro and micronutrients (K, P, Mg, Mn, Cu, and Zn) for crop growth, were more available under organic management. Bacterial counts were higher in organic management. A significant influence of management system and management x crop interaction was observed for total mesophilic bacteria, nitrogen fixing bacteria and actinobacteria. Interestingly, cultivable fungi were not detected in all analyzed samples. PLFA biomass was higher in the organic and Gram positive bacteria dominated the microbial community in both systems. Even if fungal biomass was higher in organic management, fungal PCR-DGGE fingerprinting revealed that the two systems were very similar in terms of fungal species suggesting that 10 years were not enough to establish a new dynamic equilibrium among ecosystem components. A better knowledge of soil biota and in particular of fungal community structure will be useful for the development of sustainable management strategies.
Highlights
The market of organic foods in Europe is growing and it has evolved from a niche to the mainstream; in this contest Italy represents the fourth largest market for organics (Hughner et al, 2007)
Organic agriculture was firstly defined by the European Union regulation (CEE/2092/91 and CEE1804/99) (Lairon, 2009) and it is considered to be more environmentally sound than intensive agriculture, which is dependent on the routine use of herbicides, pesticides, and inorganic nutrient for crops and animals production (Bengtsson et al, 2005)
One fundamental aspect for soil quality, which has not been appropriately considered till some years ago, is represented by “biodiversity,” normally indicated as the variability of the living forms, soil fauna, flora, vertebrates, birds, and mammals within an habitat or a management system of a territory involved in agricultural activity
Summary
The market of organic foods in Europe is growing and it has evolved from a niche to the mainstream; in this contest Italy represents the fourth largest market for organics (Hughner et al, 2007). Organic farmers do not use conventional inputs: pests are naturally controlled and crops are rotated and diversified (Reganold et al, 2010). In such systems, plant growth and ecosystem productivity are based on the natural availability of plant nutrients, the use of green manure and organic soil amendments (Berry et al, 2002). A recent project called TerraGenoma (Vogel et al, 2009) highlighted the huge variability in soil microbial community as affected by space, time and management (organic vs conventional), confirming the complexity of this ecosystem. The approaches for studying soil microbiota have moved from biochemical and microbiological determinations (enzyme activities, microbial biomass and respiration coefficients) to the investigation of bacterial diversity and microbial communities www.frontiersin.org
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