Effects of long-term application of organic manure and chemical fertilizer on soil properties and microbial communities in the agro-pastoral ecotone of North China

Abstract

Long-term irrational fertilizer inputs affect soil nutrients conditions in the agro-pastoral ecotone of North China. However, the mechanisms by which biotic and abiotic factors are affected by different fertilizer types remain unclear. A 16-year, long-term fertilization experiment was conducted to explore how soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities respond to different fertilizer types at an experimental site in North China. The key environmental factors that drove changes in soil microbial communities were also determined. In September 2019, soils were collected from plots of four fertilizer treatments: 1) non-fertilization control (CK), 2) chemical fertilization only (CF), 3) organic manure fertilization only (M), and 4) chemical fertilization plus organic manure (CFM). Compared with CK, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium contents were higher in M and CFM, whereas soil pH was significantly lower in CF. Abundances of dominant soil bacterial phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Gemmatimonadetes were higher in M and CFM than CK. Abundances of dominant soil fungal phyla Ascomycota was lower in CFM than in other treatments. The pathogenic fungi Fusarium, Paramyrothecium, Cladosporium, and Alternaria had the highest abundances in CK and CF, whereas abundances of the beneficial fungi Mortierella were significantly higher in M and CFM than in CF and CK. According to partial least squares path modeling, differences in fertilizer types had direct positive effects on fungal communities but little effect on bacterial communities. Overall, CFM maintained higher soil fertility and a healthy ecosystem because it increased beneficial microorganisms and inhibited pathogenic microorganisms, whereas CF increased the risk of crop infection with soil-borne diseases. The study provided a better understanding of how long-term fertilization affects microbial community composition and their associated ecosystem functions.

Biological and Chemical Vicissitudes in Soil Rhizosphere Arbitrated under Different Tillage, Residues Recycling and Oilseed Brassica-Based Cropping Systems

“…The data indicated that the addition of residues helped to increase MBC, which is also considered one of the labile pools of SOC. Our findings conform to the notion that greater organic fractions improve microbial populations and their diversity in the soil, which ultimately increase MBC [69]. In CA practices, greater aeration in the topsoil might have increased the mineralization of SOM and thus increased MBC, nitrogen and microbial population [70].…”

Partial Substitution of Chemical N with Solid Cow Manure Improved Soil Ecological Indicators and Crop Yield in a Wheat–Rice Rotation System

“…Similar fertilization schemes reduced bacterial diversity and altered the bacterial community composition of northeastern Chinese black soils within two successive crop seasons [10]. These findings emphasize the necessity of the substitution of chemical fertilizers with organic amendments, which in turn cause less environmental degradation and contribute to soil health and quality [11][12][13].…”

“…Accordingly, Gao et al [11] found that the long-term (16-year) combined application of manure and chemical fertilizers enhanced soil fertility and provided a healthier ecosystem for microbial diversity/population compared with chemical fertilization alone in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, North China. Du et al [12] also suggested that the partial replacement of chemical fertilizer with manure increased the formation of macro-aggregates, soil carbon storage, and soil productivity in an arid gravel field of Northwest China.…”

Effects of combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on Triticum aestivum quality, soil nutrients, and ecological risks

“…Alternatively, organic fertilizers have shown to signi cantly impose less environmental pollution and improve soil quality and fertility (e.g., Karažija et al, 2016;Gao et al, 2022;Du et al, 2022). Karažija et al…”