Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of Bt-cotton on biological properties of Vertisols in central India
AU - Mandal, Asit
AU - Thakur, Jyoti Kumar
AU - Sahu, Asha
AU - Manna, Madhab Chandra
AU - Rao, Annangi Subba
AU - Sarkar, Binoy
AU - Patra, Ashok Kumar
PY - 2019/4/16
Y1 - 2019/4/16
N2 - Growing areas under transgenic crops have created a concern over their possible adverse impact on the soil ecosystem. This study evaluated the effect of Bt-cotton based cropping systems on soil microbial and biochemical activities and their functional relationships with active soil carbon pools in Vertisols of central India (Nagpur, Maharastra, during 2012–2013). Culturable groups of soil microflora, enzymatic activities and active pools of soil carbon were measured under different Bt-cotton based cropping systems (e.g. cotton-soybean, cotton-redgram, cotton-wheat, cotton-vegetables and cotton-fallow). Significantly higher counts of soil heterotrophs (5.7–7.9 log cfu g −1 soil), aerobic N-fixer (3.9–5.4 log cfu g −1 soil) and P-solubilizer (2.5−3.0 log cfu g −1 soil) were recorded in Bt-cotton soils. Similarly, soil enzymatic activities, viz. dehydrogenase (16.6–22.67 µg TPF g −1 h −1 ), alkaline phosphatase (240–253 µg PNP g −1 h −1 ) and fluorescein di-acetate hydrolysis (14.6–18.0 µg fluorescein g −1 h −1 ), were significantly higher under Bt-cotton-soybean system than other Bt- and non-Bt-cotton based systems in all crop growth stages. The growth stage-wise order of soil microbiological activities were: boll development > harvest > vegetative stage. Significant correlations were observed between microbiological activities and active carbon pools in the rhizosphere soil. The findings indicated no adverse effect of Bt-cotton on soil biological properties.
AB - Growing areas under transgenic crops have created a concern over their possible adverse impact on the soil ecosystem. This study evaluated the effect of Bt-cotton based cropping systems on soil microbial and biochemical activities and their functional relationships with active soil carbon pools in Vertisols of central India (Nagpur, Maharastra, during 2012–2013). Culturable groups of soil microflora, enzymatic activities and active pools of soil carbon were measured under different Bt-cotton based cropping systems (e.g. cotton-soybean, cotton-redgram, cotton-wheat, cotton-vegetables and cotton-fallow). Significantly higher counts of soil heterotrophs (5.7–7.9 log cfu g −1 soil), aerobic N-fixer (3.9–5.4 log cfu g −1 soil) and P-solubilizer (2.5−3.0 log cfu g −1 soil) were recorded in Bt-cotton soils. Similarly, soil enzymatic activities, viz. dehydrogenase (16.6–22.67 µg TPF g −1 h −1 ), alkaline phosphatase (240–253 µg PNP g −1 h −1 ) and fluorescein di-acetate hydrolysis (14.6–18.0 µg fluorescein g −1 h −1 ), were significantly higher under Bt-cotton-soybean system than other Bt- and non-Bt-cotton based systems in all crop growth stages. The growth stage-wise order of soil microbiological activities were: boll development > harvest > vegetative stage. Significant correlations were observed between microbiological activities and active carbon pools in the rhizosphere soil. The findings indicated no adverse effect of Bt-cotton on soil biological properties.
KW - Bt-cotton
KW - Glomalin related soil protein
KW - soil carbon pools
KW - soil microbial activities
KW - Vertisols
U2 - 10.1080/03650340.2018.1520978
DO - 10.1080/03650340.2018.1520978
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85054733268
VL - 65
SP - 670
EP - 685
JO - Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science
JF - Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science
SN - 0365-0340
IS - 5
ER -