Changes in soil microbial community structure following amendment of biosolids for seven years

Abstract

The environment-friendly disposal approaches for sewage sludge remain a challenge worldwide, and agricultural application of the treated sewage sludge, i.e. biosolids, as soil conditioner and nutrient source for plants, is still one of the most promising options for dealing with the waste. In this study, we compared the effects of long-term applications of biosolids and mineral fertilizer on soil microbial community using phospholipid fatty acid profiles in an agricultural field. The microbes predominant in the mineral fertilizer soil remained the most abundant in the biosolids-amended soil. Bacterial and fungal communities presented downtrends in both absolute and relative amounts; however, percentage of Gram-positive bacteria remained unchanged. Soil pH displayed significant negative correlations with microbial communities and explained 64%, 56% and 44% of the variances in microbial biomass, bacteria and fungi, respectively, while soil NO 3-N was positively correlated with microbial biomass, bacteria and fungi (r 2 = 0.53, 0.51 and 0.54, respectively).

Effects of Inorganic, Organic and Bio-Organic Fertilizer on Growth, Rhizosphere Soil Microflora and Soil Function Sustainability in Chrysanthemum Monoculture

“…The rhizosphere microbiome contributes significantly to soil health [38]. Previous studies have found that different soil amendments can lead to distinct microbial communities [39][40][41], which is consistent with our finding that the soil bacterial and fungal community compositions were grouped according to the treatment received. In our study, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the two most abundant bacterial phyla in all soil treatments, as also observed by Zhao et al [40] and Yu et al [42], while Ascomycota was the dominant fungal phyla in all soil amendments, in agreement with Shen et al [43] However, the compositions of bacteria and fungi following the different soil treatments were significantly altered at the phyla and genera levels.…”

Variation of soil nutrients and bacterial community diversity of different land utilization types in Yangtze River Basin, Chongqing Municipality

“…Chang in land use not only affects soil physical and chemical properties but also affects soil microbe populations. Hu et al (2019) reported that soil microbes are more susceptible to soil organic carbon, organic nitrogen and nutrient (phosphate, ammonium) content. Yang, Liu & Dong (2017) reported that the abundance and diversity of different land-use types in the Jialing River, Sichuan Province followed the sequence: mixed forest >broadleaved forest >coniferous forest >shrub >meadow >bare land, with similar trends for change of soil physical and chemical properties.…”

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that bacterial abundance and diversity can be influenced by factors such as soil type, organic matter content, soil properties and plant species ( Hu et al, 2019 ; Cai et al, 2018 ; Mohamed & Abdelmajid, 2017 ; Li et al., 2017a ; Li et al., 2017b ; Li et al., 2017c ). It is commonly believed that different land-use types impact bacterial quantity in soils ( Song et al, 2013 ).…”

“…Chang in land use not only affects soil physical and chemical properties but also affects soil microbe populations. Hu et al. (2019) reported that soil microbes are more susceptible to soil organic carbon, organic nitrogen and nutrient (phosphate, ammonium) content.…”

Effects of Sewage Sludge Amendments on the Growth and Physiology of Sweet Basil

“…[42]. According to previous research [43], long term application of biosolids led to a significant negative correlation between soil pH and the microorganisms biomass (bacteria and fungi), and positive correlation between soil NO 3 − and microbial biomass. Another study reported that microorganisms biomass was not modified by application of a fertilizer made from sewage sludge ash [44].…”