Changes on Soil Biological Activity With Respect To Irrigation, Mulch and Calcium Application

Water resources diminishing over the time due to the global warming; therefore, the effects of prospective drought on soil biological activity, which is important components of soil fertility, should be evaluated for sustainable food production. Long and severe periods of drought are expected for the Mediterranean ecosystems in the near future. Long-term storage of water in the soil has a vital importance in terms of soil fertility and plant growth. Besides well-known benefits, mulch is also used for water conservation in the soil. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of irrigation, mulch applications and different calcium doses on some microbial activity parameters of soil under greenhouse melon cultivation conditions. The experimental design consists of 3 mulch applications as control (M0), gray color mulch (MG) and black color mulch (MB); 3 irrigation level as 50%, 75% and 100% of Clas-A pan evaporation amount in the greenhouse and 5 Ca doses as 0, 50, 100, 200 and 300 kg ha-1. Results revealed that mulch application reduced soil respiration. The CO2 formation was 168 μg CO2-C g soil-1 day-1 in control application whereas it was 298 in MB. The lowest microbial biomass carbon (166 μg C g soil-1 day-1) and dehydrogenase activity (14.7 μg TPF g soil-1 day-1) were found in MB