Simultaneous application of two herbicides and green compost in a field experiment: Implications on soil microbial community

Abstract

The simultaneous use of herbicides and organic amendments is a common agricultural practice that may modify the behavior of the herbicides themselves and affect the microbial community in soils. There is little information about the changes in the soil microbial community by this agricultural practice under real field conditions. The aim of this work was to assess the effects on the soil microbial community (abundance, activity, and structure) of the following two herbicides triasulfuron (TSF) and prosulfocarb (PSC) applied as individual or combined formulations in an unamended soil (Soil) and in a soil amended with green compost (Soil + GC) at field scale. Herbicide dissipation, soil biomass, respiration, dehydrogenase activity (DHA), and the profile of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) were monitored for 100 days. Triasulfuron recorded a slower dissipation rate than PSC. The dissipation rate of TSF decreased in the GC-amended soils compared to the unamended ones. Furthermore, the Soil + GC recorded a higher soil biomass and respiration than the unamended ones. In the GC-amended soil, biomass values decreased with individual or combined TSF application compared to the Soil + GC control, while biomass values in the unamended soil increased with the application of combined herbicides after 100 days. In general, soil respiration values decreased with the application of herbicides in both the unamended and GC-amended soils. This negative effect was higher for the combined TSF + PSC application. DHA values decreased over time in the unamended soils treated with herbicides, but this decrease was not observed in the GC-amended soil. The microbial structure clearly changed throughout the experiment under the different conditions assayed. After 100 days of simultaneous TSF + PSC application, there was a significant increase in Gram-positive bacteria and a significant decrease in Gram-negative bacteria and Actinobacteria in the unamended soil. The GC-amended soil minimized the effects of TSF + PSC, and only the relative abundance of Actinobacteria increased at 100 days. The microbial community in the unamended and GC-amended soils behaved differently with herbicide application; however, the combined application of TSF and PSC altered soil microbial activity and structure compared to their individual application or non-application. The application of GC to soil buffered the impact of TSF and PSC on microbial biomass and activity, and reduced the shift in the soil microbial structure.