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On the Ground or in the Air? A Methodological Experiment on Crop Residue Cover Measurement in Ethiopia.

ABSTRACT: Maintaining permanent coverage of the soil using crop residues is an important and commonly recommended practice in conservation agriculture. Measuring this practice is an essential step in improving knowledge about the adoption and impact of conservation agriculture. Different data collection methods can be implemented to capture the field level crop residue coverage for a given plot, each with its own implication on survey budget, implementation speed and respondent and interviewer burden. In this paper, six alternative methods of crop residue coverage measurement are tested among the same sample of rural households in Ethiopia. The relative accuracy of these methods are compared against a benchmark, the line-transect method. The alternative methods compared against the benchmark include: (i) interviewee (respondent) estimation; (ii) enumerator estimation visiting the field; (iii) interviewee with visual-aid without visiting the field; (iv) enumerator with visual-aid visiting the field; (v) field picture collected with a drone and analyzed with image-processing methods and (vi) satellite picture of the field analyzed with remote sensing methods. Results of the methodological experiment show that survey-based methods tend to underestimate field residue cover. When quantitative data on cover are needed, the best estimates are provided by visual-aid protocols. For categorical analysis (i.e., >30% cover or not), visual-aid protocols and remote sensing methods perform equally well. Among survey-based methods, the strongest correlates of measurement errors are total farm size, field size, distance, and slope. Results deliver a ranking of measurement options that can inform survey practitioners and researchers.

SUBMITTER: Kosmowski F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5602098 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Increasing the diversity of crops grown in arable soils delivers multiple ecological functions. Whether mixtures of residues from different crops grown in polyculture contribute to microbial assimilation of carbon (C) to a greater extent than would be expected from applying individual residues is currently unknown. In this study, we used 13C isotope labelled cover crop residues (buckwheat, clover, radish, and sunflower) to track microbial assimilation of plant residue-derived C using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. We also quantified microbial assimilation of C derived from the soil organic matter (SOM) because fresh residue inputs also prime the decomposition of SOM. To consider the initial stages of residue decomposition, and preclude microbial turnover, we compared a quaternary mixture of residues with the average effect of their four components 1 day after incorporation. Our results show that the microbial biomass carbon (MBC) in the treatment receiving the mixed residue was significantly greater, by 132% (3.61 μg C g-1), than the mean plant residue-derived MBC in treatments receiving the four individual components of the mixture. However, there was no evidence that the mixture resulted in any additional assimilation of C derived from native SOM than the average observed in individual residue treatments. We surmise that, during the initial stages of crop residue decomposition, a greater biodiversity of residues increases microbial assimilation to a greater extent than would be expected from applying individual residues either due to faster decomposition or greater carbon use efficiency (CUE). This might be facilitated by functional complementarity in the soil microbiota, permitted by a greater diversity of substrates, reducing competition for any single substrate. Therefore, growing and incorporating crop polycultures (e.g., cover crop mixtures) could be an effective method to increase microbial C assimilation in the early stages of cover crop decomposition.HighlightsThe effect of mixing crop residues on assimilation of C by soil microbial biomass was investigated.The study is important due to recent interest in diverse cover crop mixtures for arable systems.Mixing crop residues enhanced the assimilation of plant residue-derived C into microbial biomass.Growing and incorporating cover crop polycultures may enhance C storage in arable soils.

Project description:BackgroundUnderstanding the dynamics of airborne microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in space life support systems is important because potential pathogens and antibiotic resistance pose a health risk to crew that can lead to mission failure. There have been few reports on the distribution patterns of microbiomes and ARGs in space life support systems. In particular, there have been no detailed investigations of microbiomes and/or antibiotic resistance based on molecular methods in long-term confined bioregenerative life support systems (BLSSs). Therefore, in the present study, we collected air dust samples from two crew shifts, different areas, and different time points in the "Lunar Palace 365" experiment. We evaluated microbial diversity, species composition, functional potential, and antibiotic resistance by combining cultivation-independent analyses (amplicon, shot-gun sequencing, and qPCR).ResultsWe found that the bacterial community diversity in the Lunar Palace1 (LP1) system was higher than that in a controlled environment but lower than that in an open environment. Personnel exchange led to significant differences in bacterial community diversity, and source tracking analysis revealed that most bacteria in the air derived from the cabin crew and plants, but no differences in microbial function or antibiotic resistance were observed. Thus, human presence had the strongest effect on the succession of microbial diversity in the BLSSs.ConclusionsOur results highlight that microbial diversity in BLSSs is heavily influenced by changes in crew and is unique from other open and controlled environments. Our findings can be used to help develop safe, enclosed BLSS that meet the requirements of human survival and habitation in outer space. In addition, our results can further enhance our understanding of the indoor air microbial community and effectively maintain a safe working and living environment, including plant growth.

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On the Ground or in the Air? A Methodological Experiment on Crop Residue Cover Measurement in Ethiopia.

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