Soil microbial biomass, organic C, and soybean physiology in integrated crop-livestock systems with different inputs

This study assessed the effect of soil inputs, i.e., lime, gypsum and fertilizers, on biological parameters, total organic C (TOC), and growth and physiology of soybean under integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS). Five soil inputs were evaluated: CT (no input), T1 (lime), T2 (lime and gypsum), T3 (lime, gypsum and NPK), and T4 (lime, gypsum, NPK and micronutrients). The highest TOC and soil microbial biomass values were found in T4 (7.8 g kg(-1)) and T1 (146.7 mg C kg(-1)), respectively. Soil respiration and dehydrogenase were higher in T2 (5.2 mg CO2 kg(-1) and 0.19 mg kg(-1), respectively). The highest soybean biomass, shoot dry weight, and chlorophyll values were found in T2 (14.1 g plant(-1), 12.6 g plant(-1), and 12.9 chlorophyll index plant(-1), respectively), while total N and phenols were higher in T1 (27.4 mg N g(-1) and 34.1 mu g mL(-1), respectively). The highest lipid peroxidation and peroxidase activity values were observed in CT (1.9 mu M g(-1)) and T1 (1.58 mu M g(-1)), respectively. The soil conditioning via the application of lime and gypsum can contribute to improving the status of biological parameters and TOC in ICLS, and it could contribute for improving the growth and physiology of soybean.

Automated summary

The study assessed the impact of soil inputs, such as lime, gypsum, and fertilizers, on the biological parameters, total organic C (TOC), and growth and physiology of soybean in an integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS). The results showed that the application of lime and gypsum improved the soil's biological parameters and TOC, leading to enhanced growth and physiology of soybean.