Dynamics of viable nitrifier community and nutrient availability in dry tropical forest habitat as affected by cultivation and soil texture

Abstract

Seasonal dynamics of N-mineralization and the size of the viable community of nitrifying bacteria were studied for a forest site and an adjoining cropland site. The forest site was dominated by Boswellia serrata and Acacia catechu in the tree layer, and by Nyctanthes arbortristis and Zizyphus glaberrima in the shrub layer. Crop sequence on the cropland site was Oryza sativa/Lens culinaris. The soil type in both the sites was ultisol (USDA). The cropland soil had significantly higher bulk density, and clay content but lower organic C, total N and total P than forest soil. The soil moisture content, numbers of ammonia- and nitrite oxidizing bacteria and N- mineralization rates were highest in the wet season and lowest in the dry season, while the size of mineral N and P pools showed a reverse trend in both sites. The numbers of free-living cells of ammonia- and nitrite oxidizing bacteria were significantly related with each other as well as with the soil moisture content and N-mineralization rates. In N-mineralization, NO3/- was the dominating form in the forest site during rainy season, while in other seasons in this site and in all the seasons in the cropland site, NH4/+ -N was predominant. The N-mineralization rate and the number of viable nitrifying cells were consistently higher for the forest soil compared to the clay-rich cropland soil. The combination of low soil organic matter and high clay content suppressed the number of free-living cells of nitrifying bacteria and N-mineralization rates in the cropland site.