Linkages between straw decomposition rate and the change in microbial fractions and extracellular enzyme activities in soils under different long-term fertilization treatments.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zhao S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6135362 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Labile organic carbon (LOC) fractions and related enzyme activities in soils are considered to be early and sensitive indicators of soil quality changes. We investigated the influences of fertilization and residue incorporation on LOC fractions, enzyme activities, and the carbon pool management index (CPMI) in a 10-year field experiment. The experiment was composed of three treatments: (1) no fertilization (control), (2) chemical fertilizer application alone (F), and (3) chemical fertilizer application combined with incorporation of wheat straw residues (F?+?R). Generally, the F?+?R treatment led to the highest concentrations of the LOC fractions. Compared to the control treatment, the F?+?R treatment markedly enhanced potential activities of cellulase (CL), ?-glucosidase (BG), lignin peroxidase (LiP), and manganese peroxidase (MnP), but decreased laccase (LA) potential activity. Partial least squares regression analysis suggested that BG and MnP activities had a positive impact on the light-fraction organic carbon (LFOC), permanganate-oxidizable carbon (POXC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fractions, whereas laccase activity had a negative correlation with those fractions. In addition, the F?+?R treatment significantly increased the CPMI compared to the F and control treatments. These results indicated that combining fertilization with crop residues stimulates production of LOC and could be a useful approach for maintaining sustainable production capacity in lime concretion black soils along the Huai River region of China.
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Project description:Differences in the composition of a bacterial community engaged in decomposing wheat straw in a fluvo-aquic soil at 15?°C, 25?°C, and 35?°C were identified using barcode pyrosequencing. Functional carbon groups in the decomposing wheat straw were evaluated by (13)C-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance). Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were more abundant, whereas Alphaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were less abundant, at higher temperatures during the later stages of decomposition. Differences in the chemical properties of straw accounted for 19.3% of the variation in the community composition, whereas soil properties accounted for more (24.0%) and temperature, for less (7.4%). Carbon content of the soil microbial biomass and nitrogen content of straw were significantly correlated with the abundance of Alphaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. The chemical properties of straw, especially the NCH/OCH3, alkyl O-C-O, and O-alkyl functional groups, exercised a significant effect on the composition of the bacterial community at different temperatures during decomposition-results that extend our understanding of bacterial communities associated with the decomposition of straw in agro-ecosystems and of the effects of temperature and chemical properties of the decomposing straw and soil on such communities.
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Project description:Potassium (K) input is essential for the improvement of soil fertility in agricultural systems. However, organic amendment may differ from mineral K fertilization with respect to modifying the soil K transformation among different fractions, affecting soil K availability. We conducted a 60-day lab incubation experiment to evaluate the response of soil K dynamics and availability in various fractions with a view to simulating crop residue return and chemical K fertilization in an Anthrosol of northwest China. The tested soil was divided into two main groups, no K fertilization (K0) and K fertilization (K1), each of which was subjected to four straw addition regimes: no straw addition (Control), wheat straw addition (WS), maize straw addition (MS), and both wheat straw and maize straw addition (WS+MS). Soil K levels in the available (AK) and non-exchangeable (NEK) fractions were both significantly increased after K addition, following the order of K>WS>MS. Fertilizer K was the most efficient K source, demonstrating a 72.9% efficiency in increasing soil AK, while wheat and maize straw exhibited efficiencies of 47.1% and 39.3%, respectively. Furthermore, K fertilization and wheat and maize straw addition increased the soil AK in a cumulative manner when used in combination. The mobility factor (MF) and reduced partition index (IR) of soil K were used to quantitate the comprehensive soil K mobility and stability, respectively. Positive relationships were observed between the MF and all relatively available fractions of soil K, whereas the IR value of soil K correlated negatively with both MF and all available fractions of soil K. In conclusion, straw amendment could be inferior to mineral K fertilization in improving soil K availability when they were almost equal in the net K input. Crop straw return coupled with K fertilization can be a promising strategy for improving both soil K availability and cycling in soil-plant systems.
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Project description:Climate-induced warming of the Arctic tundra is expected to increase nutrient availability to soil microbes, which in turn may accelerate soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition. We increased nutrient availability via fertilization to investigate the microbial response via soil enzyme activities. Specifically, we measured potential activities of seven enzymes at four temperatures in three soil profiles (organic, organic/mineral interface, and mineral) from untreated native soils and from soils which had been fertilized with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) since 1989 (23 years) and 2006 (six years). Fertilized plots within the 1989 site received annual additions of 10 g N · m(-2) · year(-1) and 5 g P · m(-2) · year(-1). Within the 2006 site, two fertilizer regimes were established--one in which plots received 5 g N · m(-2) · year(-1) and 2.5 g P · m(-2) · year(-1) and one in which plots received 10 g N · m(-2) · year(-1) and 5 g P · m(-2) · year(-1). The fertilization treatments increased activities of enzymes hydrolyzing carbon (C)-rich compounds but decreased phosphatase activities, especially in the organic soils. Activities of two enzymes that degrade N-rich compounds were not affected by the fertilization treatments. The fertilization treatments increased ratios of enzyme activities degrading C-rich compounds to those for N-rich compounds or phosphate, which could lead to changes in SOM chemistry over the long term and to losses of soil C. Accelerated SOM decomposition caused by increased nutrient availability could significantly offset predicted increased C fixation via stimulated net primary productivity in Arctic tundra ecosystems.
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Project description:Addition of straw is common practice in rice agriculture, but its effect on the path of microbial CH(4) production and the microbial community involved is not well known. Since straw from rice (C3 plant) and maize plants (C4 plant) exhibit different ?(13)C values, we compared the effect of these straw types using anoxic rice field soils from Italy and China, and also a soil from Thailand that had previously not been flooded. The temporal patterns of production of CH(4) and its major substrates H(2) and acetate, were slightly different between rice straw and maize straw. Addition of methyl fluoride, an inhibitor of acetoclastic methanogenesis, resulted in partial inhibition of acetate consumption and CH(4) production. The ?(13)C of the accumulated CH(4) and acetate reflected the different ?(13)C values of rice straw versus maize straw. However, the relative contribution of hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis to total CH(4) production exhibited a similar temporal change when scaled to CH(4) production irrespectively of whether rice straw or maize straw was applied. The composition of the methanogenic archaeal communities was characterized by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis and was quantified by quantitative PCR targeting archaeal 16S rRNA genes or methanogenic mcrA genes. The size of the methanogenic communities generally increased during incubation with straw, but the straw type had little effect. Instead, differences were found between the soils, with Methanosarcinaceae and Methanobacteriales dominating straw decomposition in Italian soil, Methanosarcinaceae, Methanocellales, and Methanobacteriale in China soil, and Methanosarcinaceae and Methanocellales in Thailand soil. The experiments showed that methanogenic degradation in different soils involved different methanogenic population dynamics. However, the path of CH(4) production was hardly different between degradation of rice straw versus maize straw and was also similar for the different soil types.
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