Banana leaf and glucose mineralization and soil organic matter in microhabitats of banana plantations under long‐term pesticide use
Soil organic matter (SOM) and microbial activity are key components of soil quality and sustainability. In tropical humid tropics of Costa Rica three pesticide regimes were studied: fungicide (low input); fungicide and herbicide (medium input); and fungicide, herbicide and nematicide (high input), under continuous banana cultivation for 5 (young) or 20 (old) years, in three microhabitats: nematicide ring around plants, litter pile of harvested banana, and bare area between litter pile and nematicide ring. Soil samples were incubated sequentially in laboratory: unamended, amended with glucose, and amended with ground banana leaves. SOM varied with microhabitat, greatest in litter pile, where microbes had greatest basal respiration with ground banana leaf, while microbes in nematicide ring had greatest respiration with glucose. These results suggest soil microbes adaptation to specific microhabitats. Young banana plantations had similar SOM compared to old plantations, but the former had greater basal microbial respiration in unameded and in glucose‐amended soil, and greater first‐order mineralization rate in glucose‐amended soil, thus indicating soil biological quality decline over time. High pesticide input did not decrease microbial activity nor mineralization rate in surface soil. In conclusion, soil microbial activity in tropical volcanic is highly adaptable to organic and inorganic inputs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
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