Soil properties and productivity in two long-term crop rotations differing with respect to organic matter management on an Albic Luvisol

This study was based on a three-factor experiment carried out since 1980 on a loamy sand (Albic Luvisol) in which arable crops were grown in two 4-years rotations: RotA (grain maize, winter wheat, spring barley and silage maize) and RotB [grain maize, winter wheat plus mustard green manure (GM), spring barley and grass–clover ley (GCL)]. The soil in RotB with an increased input of OM (GM and 1-year GCL) accumulated significantly larger amounts of soil organic carbon and soil microbial biomass C, had higher activities of dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase enzymes and gave significantly higher winter wheat grain yields compared to the soil in RotA. However, in the absence of liming, the soil in RotB, contrary to that in RotA, became more acidic, had reduced activity of alkaline phosphatase and lower contents of Ca and Mg, and contained a diminished proportion of the >0.5 mm macroaggregates fraction. These soil deteriorative effects of crop rotations delivering larger amounts of OM have not been reported so far. In both rotations FYM applied once per 4-year rotation at 40 Mg ha−1 improved all the tested soil properties and had mitigating effects on the negative changes found in the soil of RotB.