{"id":1166,"date":"2017-09-19T13:08:07","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T17:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gallandt.wordpress.com\/?p=1166"},"modified":"2018-03-07T13:37:22","modified_gmt":"2018-03-07T18:37:22","slug":"solarization-and-the-soil-microbiome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/2017\/09\/19\/solarization-and-the-soil-microbiome\/","title":{"rendered":"Solarization and the Soil Microbiome"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Grace Smith, Undergraduate in Molecular and Cellular Biology<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sonja Birthisel, PhD Student in Ecology and Environmental Sciences<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Eric R. Gallandt, Professor of Weed Ecology and Management<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A soil microbiome consists of tiny organisms such as bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protists that impact plant life. Beneficial microbes decompose organic molecules, rendering them usable by plants and protect against harmful microbes. Conversely, pathogenic microbes can have major detrimental effects on crops.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In June through August\u00a0 of 2016, we expanded our study of solarization (see previous blog posts about solarization for weed control) to examine the effect of solarization on soil respiration and specific populations of beneficial microorganisms: general bacteria, general fungi, <em>Bacilli<\/em>, and fluorescent pseudomonads. <\/span><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1169 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-1.png\" alt=\"petri dish\" width=\"957\" height=\"907\" srcset=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-1.png 957w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-1-300x284.png 300w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-1-768x728.png 768w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-1-105x100.png 105w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-1-317x300.png 317w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-1-423x401.png 423w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-1-634x601.png 634w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-1-846x802.png 846w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-1-951x901.png 951w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,957px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>A picture of a rose bengal agar plate which was used to select for the growth of general fungi in our experiment. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>The Experiment:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Solarization was performed for two and four weeks in a field and closed hoop house at Umaine Greens, located on the campus of the University of Maine, Orono.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Plots were rototilled and irrigated prior to application of previously used clear polyethylene mulch. Temperature was recorded throughout and soil samples were collected at the beginning of the experiment, at plastic removal, and 5 &amp; 14 days after plastic removal for microbial analyses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Temperature:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Solarization caused average temperature increases of 4 and 7\u2109 in the field\u00a0 and\u00a0 hoop house, respectively; furthermore, <em>maximum<\/em> temperatures increased by 10 and 15\u2109. The maximum temperature increase is of interest because prior research indicates that maximum temperature may be more important than average temperature in pathogen control. The dip in soil temperature between July 6th and 13th (labeled \u201cA\u201d in the figure below) corresponds with cool air temperatures during those days (Bangor International Airport, NOAA).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Temperatures over the course of four weeks of treatment in the field and hoop house. CON = control ; SOL = solarized. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Soil Respiration:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Soil respiration was measured to serve as an estimate for total microbial biomass, an indicator of soil health. We found that solarization decreased soil respiration to a minor extent in the field, and more significantly in the hoop house. We originally predicted that soil respiration would be reduced while plastic was in place, but would bounce back to normal levels by two weeks after plastic removal. Since this was not the case, it would be valuable in the future to test how long it takes for soil respiration to fully return to control levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1171 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3.png\" alt=\"FIG 3\" width=\"1337\" height=\"968\" srcset=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3.png 1337w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3-768x556.png 768w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3-1024x741.png 1024w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3-105x76.png 105w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3-317x230.png 317w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3-423x306.png 423w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3-634x459.png 634w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3-846x613.png 846w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3-951x689.png 951w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-3-1268x918.png 1268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,1337px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Soil respiration in the field and greenhouse at treatment termination (time of plastic removal) and 14 days after termination. * = significant difference. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Populations of Specific Beneficial Microbes: <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In this experiment, we measured populations of four beneficial microbe groups: general bacteria, general fungi, and rhizobacteria <em>Bacilli <\/em>and fluorescent pseudomonads<em>. <\/em>\u00a0Many general bacteria and fungi decompose large indigestible organic molecules into smaller, plant-useable nutrients. Fungi increase soil water holding capacity by growing <em>hyphae<\/em>: long, threadlike filaments. Some <em>Bacilli<\/em> convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia making it available to plants, and some fluorescent pseudomonads release antibiotics that decrease populations of plant pathogens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The good news first: field solarization did not harm any of these four groups of beneficial microbes we were able to grow in the lab.\u00a0 Under the hotter temperatures in the hoop house, there was a slight decrease in these microbes overall due to a decrease in fluorescent pseudomonads; the other groups of microbes were not significantly impacted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em style=\"color: #000000;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1172 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4.png\" alt=\"FIG 4\" width=\"1900\" height=\"886\" srcset=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4.png 1900w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4-300x140.png 300w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4-768x358.png 768w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4-1024x478.png 1024w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4-105x49.png 105w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4-600x280.png 600w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4-317x148.png 317w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4-423x197.png 423w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4-634x296.png 634w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4-846x395.png 846w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4-951x443.png 951w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/fig-4-1268x591.png 1268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,1900px\" \/> <\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Number of soil microbe colonies grown from soil collected 5 days after treatment termination in the field and hoop house. * = significant difference.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Literature Review of Expected Pathogen Response to Solarization:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Measuring the effects of solarization on plant pathogens was beyond what we could accomplish in this experiment.\u00a0 However, to get an idea whether pathogen control with solarization is theoretically possible in Maine, we reviewed papers of known pathogen responses to temperature, and compared this to the maximum temperatures measured in our experiments.\u00a0 Nearly half of the pathogens we investigated are predicted to decrease in number under temperatures we measured in our field, and over three-quarters are predicted to decrease with temperatures achieved in our hoop house. The only included pathogen that we predicted might increase in response to solarization is noble rot, also known as gray mold, a fungus that affects grapes and other horticultural crops.\u00a0 These theoretical results need to be backed up with real-world experiments in Maine, but provide a preliminary indication that solarization could contribute to not only weed management (see past blog posts), but pathogen control as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1173 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/table-1.png\" alt=\"TABLE 1\" width=\"1058\" height=\"1121\" srcset=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/table-1.png 1058w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/table-1-283x300.png 283w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/table-1-768x814.png 768w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/table-1-966x1024.png 966w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/table-1-105x111.png 105w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/table-1-317x336.png 317w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/table-1-423x448.png 423w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/table-1-634x672.png 634w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/table-1-846x896.png 846w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/354\/2017\/09\/table-1-951x1008.png 951w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,1058px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Potential effect of solarization on some pathogens of vegetable and horticultural crops in Maine, based on temperatures measured in our experiments and known temperature tolerance of these pathogens. <strong>?<\/strong>: pathogens that may decrease in response to solarization;<strong> ?: <\/strong>pathogens that may increase in response to solarization;\u00a0<\/em><\/span><em style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00d8: pathogens that are expected to be unaffected by solarization.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Conclusions:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This study suggests that solarization did little harm to beneficial soil microbes in an open field, but in a hoop house soil respiration and populations of the beneficial fluorescent pseudomonads bacteria were significantly reduced, at least in the short term.\u00a0\u00a0 Further research is needed to see if these effects\u00a0 are long lasting and have subsequent\u00a0 impacts to crop growth. Based on the soil temperatures we measured, it is possible that solarization could contribute to plant pathogen control in Maine, though more research on this topic is needed to confirm this.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Grace Smith, Undergraduate in Molecular and Cellular Biology Sonja Birthisel, PhD Student in Ecology and Environmental Sciences Eric R. Gallandt, Professor of Weed Ecology and Management A soil microbiome consists of tiny organisms such as bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protists that impact plant life. Beneficial microbes decompose organic molecules, rendering them usable by plants and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1032,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,60,75],"tags":[117,119,121,129,130],"class_list":["post-1166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ecologically-based-weed-management","category-mulching","category-weed-seedbank","tag-maine","tag-organic-farming","tag-organic-weed-control","tag-soil-quality","tag-solarization"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Solarization and the Soil Microbiome - Weed Ecology and Management - University of Maine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/weedecology\/2017\/09\/19\/solarization-and-the-soil-microbiome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Solarization and the Soil Microbiome - Weed Ecology and Management - University of Maine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Grace Smith, Undergraduate in Molecular and Cellular Biology Sonja Birthisel, PhD Student in Ecology and Environmental Sciences Eric R. Gallandt, Professor of Weed Ecology and Management A soil microbiome consists of tiny organisms such as bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protists that impact plant life. 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