Abstract:
To understand the
long
-
term effects of payatak and conventional rice farming system
on soil properties and soil quality, a soil survey was conducted in existing “payatak” and
conventional rice fields in Catubig Valley, Northern Samar, Philippines. Chemical
analyses revealed
that soils under “payatak” are more acidic, with low
EC
, OM, and N
content compared to those soils from conventional rice farms. However, available P and
exchangeable K in “payatak” soils were higher than those in conventional. The available
N varied sign
ificantly with time and sampling area and the mineral N levels fluctuated
greatly within three weeks after land preparation. The BiologEcoPlate™ and subsequent
correlation analysis have shown a partial characterization of microbial functional
community att
ributed to several factors leading to differences in chemical properties of
the two rice farming systems. These results imply that the levels of OM and the amount of
exchangeable K could trigger a distinct microbial community functional structure.
Variatio
ns in soil pH,
EC
, and the amounts of nutrients have also caused a shift of the
microbial functional diversity as represented by correlations between Shannon
–
Weaver
indices. Overall, the results would indicate that long term “payatak” and conventional
rice
farming system would result in different soil nutrient status and distinct microbial
functional community which may affect the overall productivity and soil quality. Further
analysis should be done to establish the relationship between soil microbial prop
erties
data onto long term productivity in paddy soils.
Keywords:
Available P, Exchangeable bases, Microbial functional structure, N
-
mineralization, Soil enzyme activities
