123-43 Impact of Long-Term Pulse Crop Rotations On Glomalin-Related Soil Protein and Water Aggregate Stability.



Monday, October 17, 2011
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Hall C, Street Level

Fran Walley1, Rich Farrell1, Courtney Kosty1, Morgan Sather1, Inonge Moolecki1 and Yantai Gan2, (1)Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
(2)Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Swift Current, SK, Canada
Successful endophytic plant-fungal interactions such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal  (AMF) associations are increasingly recognized not only as beneficial to host plants, but also as the critical link that establishes a continuum between plant and soil. Through this linkage, the association plays an important role in soil aggregate stabilization and consequent organic C and N storage. In particular, the large hyphal networks produced by AMF associations are thought to stabilize aggregates through the combined action of the extraradical hyphae and hyphal exudates including glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP). Different crops vary in their AMF dependence and thus it is expected that crop rotations may significantly affect GRSP production and related soil water-stable aggregation.  Our objectives were to assess the impact of crop rotation on GRSP and relate GRSP to soil quality indicators, including water aggregate stability and associated C and N. Although crop rotation affected total GRSP as determined by a Bradford assay, this did not translate consistently into significant differences in AMF-specific immunoreactive glomalin, determined using an ELISA technique. These results suggest that although crop rotation may affect the material extracted as GRSP, the origin of these proteins likely includes non-AMF sources. Irrespective of origin, GRSP contributes to water stable soil aggregation.
See more from this Division: S03 Soil Biology & Biochemistry
See more from this Session: Microbe, Plant , and Soil Interactions (Includes Graduate Student Poster Competition)