Five-year impacts of biomass crop monoculture on soil enzyme activity, nitrogen pools, and other soil health indicators

IF 5.8 2区生物学 Q1 AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

Biomass & Bioenergy Pub Date : 2025-04-05 DOI:10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107856

Nevien Elhawat , Éva Domokos-Szabolcsy , Szilvia Veres , Miklós G. Fári , Tarek Alshaal

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Soil health and nitrogen cycling are critical for sustainable biomass production, yet the long-term effects of monoculture biomass cropping on these factors remain underexplored. This study examines the five-year monoculture cultivation effects of giant reed (Arundo donax L.), miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus), and sida (Sida hermaphrodita) on soil biochemical properties, nitrogen species, and biomass yield stability under field conditions. Soil samples collected in autumn 2014 and spring 2015 revealed significant seasonal and crop-specific impacts on soil health indicators. Giant reed cultivation resulted in the highest urease activity in autumn (346 μg NH₄⁺ g⁻¹ soil h⁻¹), supporting enhanced nitrogen cycling, while miscanthus increased soil organic matter (SOM) to 4.77 % in spring, aiding carbon sequestration. Sida contributed to the highest dehydrogenase activity, indicating robust microbial activity, alongside increased organic nitrogen (4.92 mg kg⁻¹) and total nitrogen levels (17.0 mg kg⁻¹) in spring. Soil respiration and electrical conductivity varied by season, with pH values slightly higher in spring. Across all crops, nitrogen forms (nitrate, ammonium, and organic nitrogen) were generally higher in spring than autumn, highlighting seasonal dynamics. Yield stability was greatest in giant reed (2.01 kg m⁻² on average), while miscanthus and sida averaged 1.62 and 0.86 kg m⁻², respectively. The findings underscore these crops' potential for sustainable biomass production and improved soil health in low-input systems.

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来源期刊

Biomass & Bioenergy 工程技术-能源与燃料

CiteScore

11.50

自引率

3.30%

发文量

258

审稿时长

60 days

期刊介绍： Biomass & Bioenergy is an international journal publishing original research papers and short communications, review articles and case studies on biological resources, chemical and biological processes, and biomass products for new renewable sources of energy and materials. The scope of the journal extends to the environmental, management and economic aspects of biomass and bioenergy. Key areas covered by the journal: • Biomass: sources, energy crop production processes, genetic improvements, composition. Please note that research on these biomass subjects must be linked directly to bioenergy generation. • Biological Residues: residues/rests from agricultural production, forestry and plantations (palm, sugar etc), processing industries, and municipal sources (MSW). Papers on the use of biomass residues through innovative processes/technological novelty and/or consideration of feedstock/system sustainability (or unsustainability) are welcomed. However waste treatment processes and pollution control or mitigation which are only tangentially related to bioenergy are not in the scope of the journal, as they are more suited to publications in the environmental arena. Papers that describe conventional waste streams (ie well described in existing literature) that do not empirically address ''new'' added value from the process are not suitable for submission to the journal. • Bioenergy Processes: fermentations, thermochemical conversions, liquid and gaseous fuels, and petrochemical substitutes • Bioenergy Utilization: direct combustion, gasification, electricity production, chemical processes, and by-product remediation • Biomass and the Environment: carbon cycle, the net energy efficiency of bioenergy systems, assessment of sustainability, and biodiversity issues.