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Article: Seasonal changes in microbial function and diversity associated with stubble retention versus burning.
- Article from:
- Australian Journal of Soil Research
- Article date:
- November 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 CSIRO Publishing. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
In low-rainfall dry-land agricultural cropping systems, a significant part of the year is associated with little or no plant growth, and microbial activity in soil is limited by the absence of water and readily available carbon (C) sources (e.g. root turnover, root exudates, shoot residues). In Western Australia (WA), a single rain-fed winter (May November) crop is grown each year and since limited opportunities exist for summer cropping, plant cover for the remainder of the year generally consists only of the stubble remaining after crops are harvested and opportunistic summer germinating weeds. Consequently, soil organic matter (SOM) levels are ...