Mh. Beare et al., INFLUENCES OF MYCELIAL FUNGI ON SOIL AGGREGATION AND ORGANIC-MATTER STORAGE IN CONVENTIONAL AND NO-TILLAGE SOILS, Agriculture, ecosystems & environment. Applied soil ecology, 5(3), 1997, pp. 211-219
Soil microbial community composition, aggregation and organic matter (
SOM) content can be markedly influenced by tillage and crop management
practices. This study was undertaken to determine to what extent diff
erences in populations of mycelial fungi in conventional (CT) and no-t
illage (NT) soils contribute to soil aggregation and soil organic matt
er storage. Fungicide (Captan) and control treatments were established
in long-term CT and NT plots on a well-drained Hiwassee sandy clay lo
am soil (clayey kaolinitc thermic Rhodic Kanhapludult). The effects of
these treatments on total and FDA-active fungal hyphal lengths, total
bacteria (0-15 cm) and in situ soil respiration rates were measured a
t approximately monthly intervals. Soil carbohydrates and water-stable
aggregate (WSA) distributions were quantified on the final sample dat
e. Surface soil (0-5 cm) of NT had more macroaggregates (> 250 mu m di
am) and 1.30 to 1.46 times higher densities of fungal mycelia as compa
red to CT soils. The higher populations of fungal mycelia corresponded
to a nearly two-fold higher concentration of acid-hydrolysable carboh
ydrates, which were composed of proportionally more microbial- than pl
ant-derived sugars. Treatment with the fungicide resulted in a 40% red
uction in > 2000 mu m WSA and lower concentrations of carbohydrates in
NT surface soils, but had no significant effects in CT soils. The con
tributions of fungi to aggregate stability may represent an important
biotically-regulated mechanism for the protection of soil organic matt
er and may help to explain the greater retention of soil organic carbo
n in NT than in CT soils.