The effect of ecological farming techniques on nitrogen cycling microorganisms in soils with coffee plantations

Abstract

Ecological agriculture promotes an interactive system for the sustainability of soil and agroecosystems, leveraging and optimizing available resources to improve the quality of the cultivated soil. This research aims at evaluating the physical, chemical, and microorganism changes in the nitrogen cycle of the soil after applying ecological farming techniques such as liquid humus, solid humus, efficient microorganisms, biol, poultry manure, phosphites, polyculture stimulation and green manures, in coffee plantations of different ages. For this evaluation, we collected soil samples in plots cultivated with zero-, two-, and four-year-old coffee trees during months zero, four, and ten. We determined the physical and chemical parameters and abundance of microorganisms associated with the nitrogen cycle (ammonifiers (AMO), proteolytic (PRO), ammonium oxidizing (BOA), nitrite oxidizing (BON) and denitrifiers (DEN). The results showed statistically significant changes in soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content as a result of applying ecological farming techniques, which were applied sequentially and evaluated as a set over time. These statistically significant differences occurred in the different months evaluated and in month 10 in contrast to month zero of application of techniques. However, no statistically significant changes were found in the abundance of microorganisms in the nitrogen cycle. In addition, direct relationships were obtained between variables such as P and %OC; pH and DEN; and BON and AMO. It can be concluded that although the application of organic farming techniques improves the physical and chemical properties of soils, there are no statistically significant differences in the abundance of nitrogen cycle microorganisms.