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Coring lubricants can increase soil microbial activity in Vertisols
Katherine Polain1, Gabrielle Joice2, Dominic Jones3
1Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia.
Journal of Microbiological Methods
|August 24, 2019
Summary
Coring lubricants in Vertisol soils can inflate microbial activity, especially in deeper layers. Avoid lubricants like silicone oil and mould stripper for accurate soil microbial functional analysis.
Area of Science:
- Soil Science
- Microbiology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Sampling procedures in heavy clay Vertisol soils often require coring lubricants for soil recovery.
- Previous studies indicated coring lubricants inflate soil carbon measurements.
- The impact of coring lubricants on soil microbial activity remains largely unevaluated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effects of common coring lubricants on soil carbon dioxide (CO2) evolution.
- To determine the influence of lubricants on soil microbial activity at depths up to 100 cm in Vertisols.
Main Methods:
- Measured soil CO2 evolution in response to the addition of various coring lubricants.
- Evaluated microbial activity in field-collected Vertisol cores from surface to 100 cm depth.
- Compared the effects of different lubricant types and soil-to-lubricant ratios.
Main Results:
- Surface soil layers showed no significant impact of coring lubricants on CO2 evolution.
- Deeper soil layers (30-100 cm) exhibited increased microbial activity with WD-40, mould stripper, and silicone oil.
- High lubricant ratios (5 g/100 g soil) significantly inflated microbial activity (P=.001) with silicone oil and mould stripper, unlike olive oil and WD-40.
Conclusions:
- Coring lubricants can significantly alter soil microbial activity measurements in Vertisols, particularly at depth.
- Silicone oil and mould stripper showed the most pronounced inflation of microbial activity.
- It is recommended to avoid coring lubricants for soil microbial functional analysis in Vertisols to prevent sampling artifacts.
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