Effects of Short-Term Straw Return and Manure Fertilization on Soil Microorganisms and Soybean Yield in Parent Material of Degraded Black Soil in Northeast China

Soil erosion has caused the loss of black soil and exposed the soil parent material in the cultivated layer of sloping farmland in Northeast China. Straw return (STR) and manure fertilization (MF) are critical measures to improve soil quality and crop yield. However, the effect of STR and MF on the...

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Main Authors: Jiahua Ding, Zhao Li, Jiali Wu, Dalong Ma, Qiang Chen, Jianye Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Microorganisms
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/1137
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author Jiahua Ding
Zhao Li
Jiali Wu
Dalong Ma
Qiang Chen
Jianye Li
author_facet Jiahua Ding
Zhao Li
Jiali Wu
Dalong Ma
Qiang Chen
Jianye Li
author_sort Jiahua Ding
collection DOAJ
description Soil erosion has caused the loss of black soil and exposed the soil parent material in the cultivated layer of sloping farmland in Northeast China. Straw return (STR) and manure fertilization (MF) are critical measures to improve soil quality and crop yield. However, the effect of STR and MF on the soil properties of the parent material remains unclear. We conducted a 1-year pot experiment in the field using the soil parent material of degraded black soil to evaluate the effects of STR and MF on soil nutrients, microbial community, and soybean yield. We analyzed these effects using two treatments (STR and MF) in three soybean growth stages (seedling, flowering, and maturity) and a control group (CK). The MF treatment had higher α and β diversity of soil microbial than the CK during all soybean growth stages. Similarly, STR had higher soil microbial α diversity at the maturity stage and lower diversity at the seedling stage. Co-occurrence network analysis suggested that STR and MF increased the proportion of positively correlated edges in soil bacterial and fungal networks compared to the CK. Notably, the treatments enriched beneficial taxa, such as <i>Schizothecium</i> (fungi) and <i>Massilia</i> (bacteria), which are associated with organic matter decomposition and nitrogen cycling. STR and MF significantly improved soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and carbon-nitrogen ratio (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that STR and MF directly increased soybean yield. This effect was primarily mediated by the significantly higher soil organic matter, total carbon, total nitrogen, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in the treatments than in the CK (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In summary, STR and MF improved soil fertility and soil microbial community diversity of degraded black soil. This study provides scientific methods to improve the fertility of degraded black soil and increase soybean production in the short term.
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issn 2076-2607
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spelling doaj-art-6717f6f7e3a549628e2561995c1935bb2025-08-20T03:47:57ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-05-01135113710.3390/microorganisms13051137Effects of Short-Term Straw Return and Manure Fertilization on Soil Microorganisms and Soybean Yield in Parent Material of Degraded Black Soil in Northeast ChinaJiahua Ding0Zhao Li1Jiali Wu2Dalong Ma3Qiang Chen4Jianye Li5College of Geographical Science, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, ChinaCollege of Geographical Science, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, ChinaCollege of Geographical Science, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, ChinaCollege of Geographical Science, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, ChinaCollege of Geographical Science, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, ChinaKey Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150081, ChinaSoil erosion has caused the loss of black soil and exposed the soil parent material in the cultivated layer of sloping farmland in Northeast China. Straw return (STR) and manure fertilization (MF) are critical measures to improve soil quality and crop yield. However, the effect of STR and MF on the soil properties of the parent material remains unclear. We conducted a 1-year pot experiment in the field using the soil parent material of degraded black soil to evaluate the effects of STR and MF on soil nutrients, microbial community, and soybean yield. We analyzed these effects using two treatments (STR and MF) in three soybean growth stages (seedling, flowering, and maturity) and a control group (CK). The MF treatment had higher α and β diversity of soil microbial than the CK during all soybean growth stages. Similarly, STR had higher soil microbial α diversity at the maturity stage and lower diversity at the seedling stage. Co-occurrence network analysis suggested that STR and MF increased the proportion of positively correlated edges in soil bacterial and fungal networks compared to the CK. Notably, the treatments enriched beneficial taxa, such as <i>Schizothecium</i> (fungi) and <i>Massilia</i> (bacteria), which are associated with organic matter decomposition and nitrogen cycling. STR and MF significantly improved soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and carbon-nitrogen ratio (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that STR and MF directly increased soybean yield. This effect was primarily mediated by the significantly higher soil organic matter, total carbon, total nitrogen, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in the treatments than in the CK (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In summary, STR and MF improved soil fertility and soil microbial community diversity of degraded black soil. This study provides scientific methods to improve the fertility of degraded black soil and increase soybean production in the short term.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/1137degraded black soilstraw returnmanure fertilizationmicrobial diversitysoybean yield
spellingShingle Jiahua Ding
Zhao Li
Jiali Wu
Dalong Ma
Qiang Chen
Jianye Li
Effects of Short-Term Straw Return and Manure Fertilization on Soil Microorganisms and Soybean Yield in Parent Material of Degraded Black Soil in Northeast China
Microorganisms
degraded black soil
straw return
manure fertilization
microbial diversity
soybean yield
title Effects of Short-Term Straw Return and Manure Fertilization on Soil Microorganisms and Soybean Yield in Parent Material of Degraded Black Soil in Northeast China
title_full Effects of Short-Term Straw Return and Manure Fertilization on Soil Microorganisms and Soybean Yield in Parent Material of Degraded Black Soil in Northeast China
title_fullStr Effects of Short-Term Straw Return and Manure Fertilization on Soil Microorganisms and Soybean Yield in Parent Material of Degraded Black Soil in Northeast China
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Short-Term Straw Return and Manure Fertilization on Soil Microorganisms and Soybean Yield in Parent Material of Degraded Black Soil in Northeast China
title_short Effects of Short-Term Straw Return and Manure Fertilization on Soil Microorganisms and Soybean Yield in Parent Material of Degraded Black Soil in Northeast China
title_sort effects of short term straw return and manure fertilization on soil microorganisms and soybean yield in parent material of degraded black soil in northeast china
topic degraded black soil
straw return
manure fertilization
microbial diversity
soybean yield
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/1137
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