Enhancing soil organic carbon, particulate organic carbon and microbial biomass in semi-arid rangeland using pasture enclosures

Table 4 Distribution of microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen with depth in three grazing systems in Chepareria, Kenya

Depth (cm)	Microbial biomass carbon (µg g⁻¹)			Microbial biomass nitrogen (µg g⁻¹)
Depth (cm)	OGR	CGE	GDE	OGR	CGE	GDE
0–10	77.08 ± 5.25Ca	88.22 ± 6.16Ba	96.63 ± 5.31Aa	37.57 ± 2.01Ba	38.44 ± 2.26Ba	40.9 ± 5.68Aa
10–20	73.67 ± 4.27Cb	81.05 ± 3.74Bb	94.10 ± 5.55Aa	36.24 ± 2.50Aa	37.57 ± 3.45Ab	37.89 ± 3.30Ab
20–40	32.05 ± 7.25Cc	38.94 ± 10.42Bc	47.77 ± 6.04Ab	18.01 ± 3.71Cb	22.09 ± 3.04Ac	21.64 ± 3.34Ac
Pooled mean	60.93 ± 21.36C	69.40 ± 23.04B	79.50 ± 23.28A	31.97 ± 7.49B	31.34 ± 10.00B	33.48 ± 9.49A

Values represent mean ± SD (n = 9). Values with different uppercase letters across the rows (grazing systems) and the lowercase letters within columns (soil depths) are significantly different at P < 0.05
GDE grazing dominated enclosure, CGE contractual grazing enclosure, OGR open grazing rangeland

ISSN: 1472-6785