Microbial diversity in an Oxisol under no-tillage and conventional tillage in southern Brazil

The no-tillage (NT) system of soil management is recognized as more sustainable than conventional tillage (CT), with an important role played by soil microorganisms. The objective of this study was to estimate differences in soil microbial diversity under NT and CT at different soil depths. For that, bacterial (16S rDNA) and fungal (18S rDNA) communities were evaluated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) in a 20-year field experiment established on an Oxisol in southern Brazil on which soybean has been grown in the summer and wheat in the winter. Soil samples were collected at the depths of 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm, and submitted to DGGE analyses. The results revealed lower similarity (28%) between bacterial communities in the NT and the CT systems at the 0-5 cm layer. The Shannon index (H) confirmed higher bacterial diversity with NT at all depths, when compared to CT. In relation to fungal communities, higher diversity was detected with CT, especially at the 0 - 5-cm depth. The results indicate that fungal communities can be more tolerant to environmental stresses related to soil disturbance than bacteria. More emphasis should be given for understanding processes affecting the diversity of microorganisms in agricultural soils, with particular emphasis on tillage systems

Chemical composition of grains from glyphosate-resistant soybean and its conventional parent under different edaphoclimatic conditions in Brazil

ABSTRACT Glyphosate-tolerant (Roundup Ready(r), RR) soybean is the most widely cultivated genetically modified crop in the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in a long-term field experiment, the chemical composition of grains in a pair of cultivars composed of the conventional parent (BRS 133) and the nearly isogenic transgenic (BRS 245RR) soybean. Plants were cropped under two different edaphoclimatic conditions in Brazil. The experiments began during the 2003/2004 growing season; samples were collected during the 2011/2012 harvest. Were quantified the contents of isoflavones (high performance liquid chromatography), fatty acids (gas chromatography), lipid and proteins (near infrared spectroscopy in the NIR - Near Infrared Reflectance) and minerals (atomic absorption flame spectrophotometry). All samples were analyzed in three replications. Major differences were observed between the two cultivation locations. In Ponta Grossa, which has lower temperatures and higher rainfall during the grain filling period, the contents of lipids and isoflavones were higher. In Londrina, which hassoil with higher fertility, the contents of minerals, proteins and carbohydrates in soybean grains were higher. Significant differences were observed between the cultivars. The conventional parent had higher protein contents and lower lipid contents. The transgenic soybean line had higher isoflavone contents