Abstract:
The application of phosphorus (P) fertilisers to grassland systems is a common
practice to increase and sustain grassland productivity. This is requisite for satisfying
the nutritional needs of grazing animals and increasing dairy and livestock output. The
costs of such fertilisers are increasing and the demands for such fertiliser will also
most likely rise following governmental targets set in Ireland to increase national
agricultural output. However, the application of P fertiliser to grassland systems can
contribute to the eutrophication of water-courses, since fertiliser applications can
result in the accumulation of P at the soil surface. One potential way to facilitate plant
P acquisition in grasslands may be associated with the soil biota. In particular, the soil
microbial biomass is recognised as a potential P pool that can provide a source of
bioavailable P to the plant community. The soil biota may also facilitate the
incorporation of P from the soil surface into the soil profile, since earthworms can
actively increase the transport of P-rich soil material from the surface belowground.
This project thus aimed to discern how P fertilisation affects microbial biomass
nutrient pools and biologically-mediated P incorporation in grassland systems, and
how this relates to plant P yields. To investigate this aim, two research questions were
proposed: (i) is the soil biota affected by commonly adopted P fertiliser strategies in
grassland systems?; (ii) what consequence does this hold for P acquisition by the plant
community?
An experiment was conducted to examine how the soil biota responded to different
rates of inorganic P fertilisation in two grassland sites of contrasting soil types over an
18 month period. This revealed that increasing P fertilisation did not affect microbial
biomass P concentrations in the soil. However, an effect was observed upon plant P
yield, in which greater plant P yields were obtained proportional to the P fertiliser
rate. Two laboratory experiments were conducted to further investigate this lack of
effect. These utilised soil from the same grassland sites and examined how nutrient
additions to the soil affected microbial biomass nutrient pools and activity. Results
from these experiments supported evidence from the field experiment, since the
application of P fertiliser did not affect microbial biomass nutrient pools following
fertiliser application, and supplementation of carbon (C) + P substrate to the soil did
not invoke respiratory responses between P fertiliser treatments. Nevertheless,supplementation with C + nitrogen (N) and C+N+P substrates was found to suppress
microbial respiration. This was attributed to greater C assimilation by the microbial
community in these particular substrate-induced respiration treatments.
In order to investigate biologically-mediated P incorporation, a glasshouse-based
mesocosm scale experiment was carried out using two contrasting soils. Bulk soil (1 –
30 cm depth range) was derived from a nutrient poor grassland system, whereas the
soil for the 0 – 1 cm depth range was taken from an intensive system that was seven
times greater in labile inorganic P concentration. Three treatments were applied to
mesocosms in an incomplete factorial design, involving the inclusion of earthworms,
different botanical diversities (unplanted, monoculture or mixed plant community)
and different fertiliser types (organic or inorganic). The absent factorial combinations
involved the application of earthworms to unplanted mesocosms. With respect to the
earthworm treatment, results revealed that the presence of earthworms reduced labile
P concentrations in the 0 – 1 cm depth range of soil. The presence of different
botanical diversities or fertiliser types did not affect microbial biomass nutrient pools,
whilst the presence of mixed plant communities did increase plant P yields. However,
microbial and nematode community structures were affected in an idiosyncratic
manner by both botanical diversity and fertiliser type.
This project demonstrated the significance of grassland management regimes in
governing microbial biomass P concentrations. In particular, it was revealed that the
frequent defoliation of the sward appeared to uncouple the microbial community from
both fertiliser inputs and possibly plant P yields. The fact that an increase in plant P
yield with increasing P fertilisation was noted in the absence of microbial responses
suggests that the soil biota may not be crucial for plant P acquisition in such intensive
inorganic-fertiliser based regimes. This suggestion was also supported by the
mesocosm experiment, since plant P yields differed between botanical diversities but
no effects were observed on microbial biomass P concentrations. Furthermore, this
project showed the potential of the earthworm community to reduce P concentrations
in the volume of soil which poses the greatest risk to water quality. The collective
evidence highlights the need for further understanding of the consequences of
inorganic-based fertiliser management systems, since current strategies may not
adequately account for management effects on soil biological P cycling.