Long-lasting beneficial effects of slurry application on some microbial and biochemical characteristics of soil

In this paper we report on comparison of microbial and biochemical properties of a loamy-sandy soil that 10 years earlier had been treated for 17 years with different rates of slurry or mineral fertilizers. Long-term fertilization of the soil with different doses of cattle slurry significantly im­proved microbial (biomass, respiration, numbers), bio­chemical (activity of dehydrogenase and phos­phatases) as well as chemical properties (C and N contents, pH) of the soil as compared to the NPK-treated soil. Results of our study indicate that slurry application may cause long-lasting, beneficial changes in biological and physicochemical characteristics of soil.