ReviewFrontiers in plant science2023
Using enzyme activities as an indicator of soil fertility in grassland - an academic dilemma.
Review in Frontiers in plant science, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of drought on soil microbial biomass and extracellular enzyme activity.Frontiers in plant science · 2023Pooled it
- Perennial and annual cropping sequences differentially influence soil functionality in Luvisolic soils.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Microbial Diversity and Genome Analyses Provide Insights into the Role ofMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- Rotational strip peanut/cereal intercropping systems improve soil quality and crop yields in aeolian sandy soil.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Isolation and Identification of an Endophytic FungusMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- Impacts of Soil Properties and Microbial Community on Fruit Quality and Yield in Ponkan Orchards with Different Comprehensive Performance.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Environmental Fate, Soil Ecological Responses and Fruit Quality Impacts of Emerging Contaminants (Antibiotics) in Orchard Ecosystems: A Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Vegetation changes drive alterations in soil nutrients, heavy metals and microbial traits in alpine meadows.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Effect of saline and freshwater rotational irrigation on the microenvironment and yield of tomato soil.BMC plant biology · 2025Article
- A global soil plasmidome resource unveils functional and ecological roles of plasmids in soil microbiomes.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Applying bio-organic fertilizer improved saline alkaline soil properties and cotton yield in Xinjiang.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Impact of rain-shelter cultivation on rhizosphere microecology and kiwifruit quality.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Dose-optimized microbial inoculants reshape grape rhizosphere microbiota and enhance fruit quality.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Effects of waterlogging on microbial activity, soil nutrient availability, nutrient uptake, and yield of tolerant and sensitive onion genotypes.Frontiers in plant science · 2025Article
- Continuous Cropping of Patchouli Alleviate Soil Properties, Enzyme Activities, and Bacterial Community Structures.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Effect of plant-soil system on the restoration of community stability after wildfire in the northeast margin of Qinghai-Tibet plateau.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Review
- Assessing the efficacy of natural soil biotin on soil quality, microbial diversity, andFrontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- Impact of wine-grape continuous cropping on soil enzyme activity and the composition and function of the soil microbial community in arid areas.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Grasslands play an important role in conserving natural biodiversity and providing ecosystem functions and services for societies. Soil fertility is an important property in grassland, and the monitoring of soil fertility can provide crucial information to optimize ecosystem productivity and sustainability. Testing various soil physiochemical properties related to fertility usually relies on traditional measures, such as destructive sampling, pre-test treatments, labor-intensive procedures, and costly laboratory measurements, which are often difficult to perform. However, soil enzyme activity reflecting the intensity of soil biochemical reactions is a reliable indicator of soil properties and thus enzyme assays could be an efficient alternative to evaluate soil fertility. Here, we review the latest research on the features and functions of enzymes catalyzing the biochemical processes that convert organic materials to available plant nutrients, increase soil carbon and nutrient cycling, and enhance microbial activities to improve soil fertility. We focus on the complex relationships among soil enzyme activities and functions, microbial biomass, physiochemical properties, and soil/crop management practices. We highlight the biochemistry of enzymes and the rationale for using enzyme activities to indicate soil fertility. Finally, we discuss the limits and disadvantages of the potential new molecular tool and provide suggestions to improve the reliability and feasibility of the proposed alternative.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.