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Enzymatic Activity and Carbon Mineralization in Mexican Tepetates Cultivated Under Different Management Practices

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Soil Enzymology in the Recycling of Organic Wastes and Environmental Restoration

Part of the book series: Environmental Science and Engineering ((ENVSCIENCE))

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Abstract

Tepetates (hardened volcanic tuffs) occupy large extensions in the Central Mexican Highlands and some of them have been modified for agriculture. In their native condition tepetates contain traces of C, N, and available P. The objective of this work was to study how different agricultural practices affect the labile organic C availability and the enzymatic activity in cultivated tepetates. Experimental plots, cultivated since 1986, were subjected to three agricultural management systems during 2002–2005: Traditional (Tt); Improved (Ti); and Organic (To). In 2002 two new plots were subjected to the traditional system (Rt), and organic system (Ro). Two non-cultivated tepetates were chosen as reference (Tv and Td). In 2005 soil samples were collected at 0–10 cm depth and soil organic C (SOC), total N (Nt), dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, phosphatase, urease and protease activities, mineralized C (Cm), and potentially mineralizable C (C0) were determined. In 4 years the recently cultivated tepetates (Rt and Ro) increased the values of these variables in relation to the non-cultivated tepetates (Tv and Td), indicating that the incorporation of tepetates to the agriculture improved their biochemical properties. Enzymatic activity, Cm and C0 increased with the years of cultivation and they were significantly higher with Ti and To, suggesting higher SOC availability for microbiology with these managements, likely due to a higher supply of organic substrates because fertilizers with crop residues (Ti) and organic manures (To) were added. Results also demonstrated that an appropriate management of tepetates produces a significant increase of SOC and Nt, leading to an improvement of their biochemical properties.

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Acknowledgments

Authors thank the European Union for the support given to the REVOLSO Project (INCO-DEV Program) and the Spanish Ministry of Education & Science for the scholarship; as well as the landowner and people who collaborated in the sampling of the plots.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Salamanca, I.R.N.A, 37071, Salamanca, Spain

    Silvia Pajares & Juan F. Gallardo

  2. Colegio de Postgraduados de Montecillo, 56230, Texcoco, Mexico

    Jorge D. Etchevers

Authors
  1. Silvia Pajares
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  2. Juan F. Gallardo
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  3. Jorge D. Etchevers
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Silvia Pajares .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Bioquimica del Suelo, Investigac. Agrobiol. de, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Apartado 122, Santiago de Compostela, 15780, Spain

    Carmen Trasar-Cepeda

  2. , Department of Soil and Water Conservatio, CEBAS-CSIC, Espinardo, Spain

    Teresa Hernández

  3. , Department of Soil and Water Conservatio, CEBAS-CSIC, Espinardo, Spain

    Carlos García

  4. Fac. Ciencias, Depto. Microbiología, Universidad de Burgos, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, Burgos, 09001, Spain

    Carlos Rad

  5. , Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, University of Burgos, Cantabria Av., Burgos, 09006, Spain

    Salvador González-Carcedo

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Pajares, S., Gallardo, J.F., Etchevers, J.D. (2011). Enzymatic Activity and Carbon Mineralization in Mexican Tepetates Cultivated Under Different Management Practices. In: Trasar-Cepeda, C., Hernández, T., García, C., Rad, C., González-Carcedo, S. (eds) Soil Enzymology in the Recycling of Organic Wastes and Environmental Restoration. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21162-1_4

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