Changes in soil enzyme activity and microbial biomass carbon by fertilization method during open-field ginger cultivation

While fertilizer application is known to affect soil biota, comparative studies on the effects of different fertilization methods, such as conventional chemical fertilizer (CF) and surface drip fertigation (SDF), are not well studied.Therefore, this study evaluated changes in soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and the activities of three soil enzymes (-1,4-glucosidase, -1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase, and acid phosphatase) under control, MF, and SDF treatments in an open-field ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) cultivation.Soil samples were collected 61 days (early growth) and 179 days (harvest) after ginger transplanting (DAT).Results showed no statistically significant differences in MBC and the three enzyme activities at either the early growth (61 DAT) or harvest (179 DAT) stages between the CF and SDF methods.However, at harvest (179 DAT), all three enzyme activities were significantly higher in the unfertilized control than in the MF and SDF treatments.This suggests that the distinct effects of fertilization methods on MBC and enzyme activities may be offset by the time elapsed between application and sampling.Furthermore, the low nutrient availability in the control plot appears to have stimulated microbial nutrient acquisition, thereby promoting enzyme production.