Physical, chemical and microbiological properties of an Andisol as related to land use and tillage practice

The effects of land use and management practice on soil physical, chemical and microbiological properties may provide essential information for assessing sustainability and environmental impact. This study compared the effects of 41 years of no-tillage (NT) with continuous apple orchard, with those of conventional tillage (CT) with wheat–soybean rotation and another of puddling (PD) with continuous rice on the characteristics of a pumice Andisol in a temperate region of northern Japan. Higher values for bulk density, penetration resistance, pH, C/N ratio, exchangeable Na (X-Na), Fe, and Mn were observed for PD than NT and CT. On the other hand, organic matter, EC, N, exchangeable K (X-K), exchangeable Ca (X-Ca) and Cu were significantly higher for NT than CT and PD. Highest content of Zn was found in CT compared to other practices. The three-phase composition at pF 2.0 was significantly affected by land use and tillage practices. The solid phase and liquid phase were greater under PD than under NT and CT, while air phase was greater under CT than under NT and PD. Significantly higher values for saturated hydraulic conductivity was found in CT than NT and PD. Total phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and PLFA for bacteria, aerobes and cyanobacteria were remarkably higher in NT than CT and PD, regardless of depth. On the other hand, PLFA for methane-oxidizing bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria and mycorrhizae were significantly higher in CT than NT and PD. PLFA for fungi was significantly higher in surface (0–10 cm) soils than subsurface (10–20 cm) soils regardless of treatments. Highest bacterial and fungal diversity evaluated by DNA band number in DGGE analysis based on PCR amplification of 16S rDNA and 18S rDNA fragments, respectively, were observed in surface soil of PD. The result suggests a linkage between microbial community and tillage practices in temperate Andisol. This study also justifies the need of measuring soil characteristics based on soil microbial communities.