The influence of pro-environmental agricultural practices on carbon content and the activity of related enzymes (beta-glucosidase, cellulase and invertase) in soil after four years of winter wheat monoculture

Abstract

Some pro-environmental agricultural practices (various tillage practices, straw management, bio-fertilizer application) are tested after five years of winter wheat monoculture in order to assess their influence on soil carbon content (organic carbon – CORG, microbial biomass carbon – MBC) and the activity of C- related enzymes (celullases - CEL, invertase – INV, -glucosidase – GLU). The study is based on a three-factor field experiment in a dependent lay-out of equivalent sub-blocks (split-plot, split-block) with three repetitions. The influence of the following factors are investigated: I factor- different tillage practices (grubber after harvest tillage + grubber in autumn; simple plowing, grubber after harvest tillage; pre-sowing plowing; direct sowing of winter wheat after no-till); II factor - straw management (straw that was removed; crumbled straw that was left), III factor – bio-fertilizer (Effective Microorganisms – EM, control without EM).