Short-term decomposition of 14C-labelled glucose in a fluvo-aquic soil as affected by lanthanum amendment

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the effects of lanthanum (La), one of the rare earth elements (REEs), on microbial biomass C as well as the decomposition of 14C-labelled glucose in a fluvo-aquic soil in 28 days. The soil was collected from the field plots under maize/wheat rotation in Fengqiu Ecological Experimental Station of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Henan Province, China. Application of La decreased soil microbial biomass C during the experimental period, and there was a negative correlation (P < 0.01) between microbial biomass and application rate of La. La increased microbial biomass 14C after 14C glucose addition, and the increase was significant (P < 0.05) at the rates of more than 160 mg kg−1 soil. La slightly increased 14CO2 evolution at lower rates of application but decreased it at higher rates 1 day after 14C glucose addition, while there was no significant effect from days 2 to 28. For the cumulative 14CO2 evolution during the incubation of 28 days, La slightly increased it at the rates of less than 120 mg kg−1 soil, while significantly decreased (P < 0.05) it at the rate of 200 mg kg−1 soil. The results indicated that agricultural use of REEs such as La in soil could decrease the amount of soil microbial biomass and change the pattern of microbial utilization on glucose C source in a short period.