Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 3 — Observational / field trialPeer-reviewed

Carbon amendment and soil depth affect the distribution and abundance of denitrifiers in agricultural soils

M. Barrett, M. I. Khalil, M. M. R. Jahangir, Changsoo Lee, L. M. Cardenas, Gavin Collins, Karl G. Richards, Vincent O’Flaherty

Environmental Science and Pollution Research · 2016

Read source ↗ All evidence

Summary

This field-based study investigated how carbon amendments and soil depth affect the spatial distribution and abundance of denitrifying microorganisms in agricultural systems. Denitrifiers are functionally important in soil nitrogen cycling and contribute to nitrous oxide emissions; understanding their community response to management practices informs strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas losses whilst maintaining soil fertility. The work as suggested by the title employed molecular techniques to profile denitrifier populations across soil horizons under different carbon amendment regimes.

UK applicability

Findings are directly relevant to UK agricultural practice, as denitrification losses are a significant concern in temperate maritime climates with high rainfall. The study's characterisation of how carbon inputs shape denitrifier communities could inform soil management guidance for reducing nitrogen losses and associated greenhouse gas emissions in UK farming systems.

Key measures

Denitrifier abundance and community composition (as suggested by molecular characterisation methods); soil depth; carbon amendment treatments

Outcomes reported

The study examined how carbon amendment and soil depth influence the distribution and abundance of denitrifying microbial communities in agricultural soils. It characterised denitrifier populations using molecular methods to assess their response to soil management practices.

Theme
Farming systems, soils & land use
Subject
Soil biology & microbiology
Study type
Research
Study design
Field trial
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
Ireland
System type
Mixed farming
DOI
10.1007/s11356-015-6030-1
Catalogue ID
BFmor3fy0h-bj9kay

Topic tags

Pulse AI · ask about this record

Dig deeper with Pulse AI.

Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.