Microbial biomass and activity in alkalized magnesic soils under arid conditions

The effects of salinity and Mg2+ alkalinity on the size and activity of the soil microbial communities were investigated. The study was conducted along the border area of the alluvial fan of the Taolai River. Thirty soil samples were taken which had an electrical conductivity (EC) gradient of 0.93–29.60 mS cm−1. Soil pH ranged from 8.60 to 9.33 and correlated positively with Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio, exchangeable Mg2+ percentage and HCO3−+CO32−. Mg2+/Ca2+ varied considerably from 3.04 to 61.31, with an average of 23.03. Exchangeable Mg2+ percentage generally exceeded 60% and had a positive correlation with Mg2+/Ca2+. HCO3−+CO32− averaged 1.63 cmol kg−1 and usually did not exceed 2.0 cmol kg−1. ial biomass, indices of microbial activity and the activities of the hydrolases negatively correlated with Mg2+/Ca2+ or exchangeable Mg2+ percentage. Biomass C, biomass N, microbial quotient (the percentage of soil organic C present as biomass C), biomass N as a percentage of total N, potentially mineralizable N, FDA hydrolysis rate and arginine ammonification rate decreased exponentially with increasing EC. The biomass C/N tended to be lower in soils with higher salinity and Mg2+ alkalinity, probably reflecting the bacterial dominance in microbial biomass in alkalized magnesic soils. The metabolic quotient (qCO2) positively correlated with salinity and Mg2+ alkalinity, and showed a quadratic relationship with EC, indicating that increasing salinity and Mg2+ alkalinity resulted in a progressively smaller, more stressed microbial communities which was less metabolically efficient. Consequently, our data suggest that salinity and Mg2+ alkalinity are stressful environments for soil microorganisms.