标题：Depth Wise Variation of Microbial Load in the Soils of Midland Region of Kerala: a Function of Important Soil Physicochemical Characteristics and Nutrients
期刊名称：Indian Journal of Education and Information Management
印刷版ISSN：2277-5367
电子版ISSN：2277-5374
出版年度：2012
卷号：1
期号：3
页码：126-129
语种：English
出版社：Indian Society for Education and Environment
摘要：Soil microorganisms play a main part in organic matter decomposition and are consequently necessary to soil ecosystem processes maintaining primary productivity of plants. In light of current concerns about the impact of cultivation and climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem performance, it is vital to expand a complete understanding of the microbial community ecology in our soils. In the present study we measured the depth wise profile of microbial load in relation with important soil physicochemical characteristics (soil temperature, soil pH, moisture content, organic carbon and available NPK) of the soil samples collected from Mahatma Gandhi University Campus, Kottayam (midland region of Kerala). Soil cores (30 cm deep) were taken and the cores were separated into three 10-cm depths to examine depth wise distribution. In the present study, bacterial load ranged from 141×10 5 to 271×10 5 CFU/g (10cm depth), from 80×10 5 to 131×10 5 CFU/g (20cm depth) and from 260×10 4 to 47×10 5 CFU/g (30cm depth). Fungal load varies from 124×10 3 to 27×10 4 CFU/g, from 61×10 3 to110×10 3 CFU/g and from 16×10 3 to 49×10 3 CFU/g at 10, 20 and 30 cm respectively. Actinomycetes count ranged from 129×10 3 to 60×10 4 CFU/g (10cm), from 70×10 3 to 31×10 4 CFU/g (20cm) and from 14×10 3 to 66×10 3 CFU/g (30cm). The study revealed that there was a significant difference in the depthwise distribution of microbial load and soil physico-chemical properties. Bacterial, fungal and actinomycetes load showed a decreasing trend with increasing depth at all the sites. Except pH all other physicochemical properties showed decreasing trend with increasing depth. The vertical profile of total microbial load was well matched with the depthwise profiles of soil nutrients and organic carbon that is microbial load was highest at the soil surface where organics and nutrients were highest.
