Response of Soil Microbial Community Structure to Phosphate Fertilizer Reduction and Combinations of Microbial Fertilizer

Abstract

The excessive application of phosphorus (P) fertilizer is becoming a major agricultural problem, which reduces the utilization rate of the P fertilizer and degrades soil quality. The following five P fertilizer treatments were investigated to know how they affect soil properties, enzyme activity, bacterial and fungal community structure. 1) no P fertilizer (P0); 2) farmers’ traditional P fertilization scheme (FP); 3) 30% reduction in P fertilizer application (P1, microbial blended fertilizer as base fertilizer); 4) 30% reduction in P fertilizer application (P2, diammonium phosphate as starting fertilizer); 5) 30% reduction in P fertilizer application (P3, microbial inoculum seed dressing). The P fertilizer reduction combined with microbial fertilizer significantly increased soil organic matter (SOM), total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP) available potassium (AK) contents, and acid phosphatase activity (ACP), however, soil urease activity was significantly reduced. Moreover, the P fertilizer reduction combined with microbial fertilizer significantly increased the relative abundance of a potential beneficial genus (i.e., Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Penicillium, and Acremonium) and potentially pathogenic genus (i.e., Fusarium, Gibberella, and Drechslera). The structural equation model (SEM) revealed that different P fertilizer reduction systems had significant indirect effects on bacterial and fungal community structures. The results suggested that the P fertilizer reduction combined with microbial fertilizer systems regulated the pathogenic and beneficial genus which created a microbial community that is favorable for maize growth. Moreover, the findings highlighted the importance of soil properties in determining the soil bacterial and fungal community structure.

Response of bacterial community structure to different phosphorus additions in a tobacco-growing soil

“…Soil P availability has been reported to influence the structure of soil microbial communities, as well as the corresponding functions and metabolisms ( Liu et al., 2022 ; Wu et al., 2023 ). Consequently, different fertilization regimes exert different effects on microbial life strategies, shaping soil P cycling processes ( Fierer et al., 2007 ; Bergkemper et al., 2016 ).…”

“…Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for plants, playing a crucial role in the synthesis of nucleic acids, enzymes, and coenzymes ( Mehnaz et al., 2019 ). However, P utilization in agroecosystems is always inefficient (10%–20%), making P a major limiting nutrient in agriculture ( Pantigoso et al., 2020 ; Liu et al., 2022 ). After being applied to soils, P fertilizers are easily absorbed and fixed, thus the P is inaccessible to plants.…”

“…Microbes can access and recycle P by secreting organic acids to solubilize Pi and releasing phosphatases, such as acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and phytase, to mineralize Po ( Azene et al., 2023 ). Pseudomonas , Burkholderia , Bacillus , and Rhizobium are bacterial genera that are recognized for their capacity to mobilize recalcitrant P ( Browne et al., 2009 ; Liu et al., 2022 ). Studies have revealed that differential P fertilization regimes affect soil bacterial community composition, diversity, and the corresponding functional profiles, and subsequently impact P transformation behaviors ( Lagos et al., 2016 ; Liu et al., 2018 ; Pantigoso et al., 2020 ).…”

Potential effect of key soil bacterial taxa on the increase of rice yield under milk vetch rotation

“…Moreover, evidence showed that high pH and high AP content could reduce the abundances of taxa with genes encoding phoD such as Gemmatales , since we found a negative correlation between AP and Gemmatales . Nodes belonging to Acidobacteriales had an opposite correlation with AP and AP-related taxa, indicating that different specific taxa belonging to Acidobacteriales might play different roles in phosphorus metabolism ( Cui et al, 2022 ; Liu H. et al, 2022 ). Strong correlations were found between Polyangiales and AP ( Figure 3 ).…”

Combined application of controlled‐release phosphate and triple superphosphate improved cotton yield and phosphorus supply in saline‐alkali land: A short‐term trial

“…Hence, decreased P availability is a critical factor for the declining productivity in saline-alkali soils (Huang et al, 2022). Microbial fertilizers and inorganic materials are often used to activate immobilized inorganic P with phosphate fertilizer applications, which increases the labor input (Liu et al, 2022;Xu et al, 2016). Thus, it is imperative that effective methods to improve P availability are researched under salinization conditions (Wagdi et al, 2013).…”