Long-term straw return with moderate nitrogen levels reshapes soil bacterial communities in a vertisol
IntroductionIncorporating straw into the soil is a sustainable practice that can mitigate some of the adverse effects of excessive N fertilization on soil structure degradation and microbial diversity reduction.MethodsThis objective of this study was to determine the combined effects of straw manage...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1554657/full |
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| author | Zichun Guo Rui Qian Rui Qian Rui Qian Wei Li Tianyu Ding Tianyu Ding Lei Gao Lei Gao Xinhua Peng |
| author_facet | Zichun Guo Rui Qian Rui Qian Rui Qian Wei Li Tianyu Ding Tianyu Ding Lei Gao Lei Gao Xinhua Peng |
| author_sort | Zichun Guo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionIncorporating straw into the soil is a sustainable practice that can mitigate some of the adverse effects of excessive N fertilization on soil structure degradation and microbial diversity reduction.MethodsThis objective of this study was to determine the combined effects of straw management (straw return and straw removal) and N fertilization (0, 360, 450, 540, 630, and 720 kg N ha−1 yr.−1) on crop yields, soil properties, and soil microbial communities in a long-term wheat-maize cropping system.Results and discussionThe results showed that moderate N application (N450–N540) with straw return optimized wheat (283.5 kg ha−1) and maize (346.5 kg ha−1) yields, whereas higher N fertilization (N630, N720) led to soil acidification (pH decline of 0.51–1.67 units), irrespective of straw management. Straw return increased soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), nitrate (NO3−-N), and available potassium (AK), but decreased ammonium (NH4+-N). Bacterial diversity increased at moderate N rates but decreased at higher N rates. Fungal diversity was generally higher under straw removal, with Chaetomiaceae increasing under straw return, whereas Mortierellaceae and Trichocomaceae declined at high N levels. The Mantel test showed a strong correlation between soil pH and bacterial diversity, while fungal composition was influenced by SOC, TN, and NO3−-N. Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) demonstrated that N fertilization directly and indirectly increased wheat yield through improved soil properties, while straw return enhanced bacterial diversity, indirectly supported wheat yield. This study highlights the importance of balanced N fertilization and straw incorporation in maintaining bacterial community structure, fertility, and long-term crop productivity in intensive cropping systems on Vertisol. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-705da9102c77438baec2fe41250981292025-08-20T03:11:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2025-02-011610.3389/fmicb.2025.15546571554657Long-term straw return with moderate nitrogen levels reshapes soil bacterial communities in a vertisolZichun Guo0Rui Qian1Rui Qian2Rui Qian3Wei Li4Tianyu Ding5Tianyu Ding6Lei Gao7Lei Gao8Xinhua Peng9State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, ChinaUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaCrop Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Science, Hefei, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaUniversity of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arable Land in China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, ChinaIntroductionIncorporating straw into the soil is a sustainable practice that can mitigate some of the adverse effects of excessive N fertilization on soil structure degradation and microbial diversity reduction.MethodsThis objective of this study was to determine the combined effects of straw management (straw return and straw removal) and N fertilization (0, 360, 450, 540, 630, and 720 kg N ha−1 yr.−1) on crop yields, soil properties, and soil microbial communities in a long-term wheat-maize cropping system.Results and discussionThe results showed that moderate N application (N450–N540) with straw return optimized wheat (283.5 kg ha−1) and maize (346.5 kg ha−1) yields, whereas higher N fertilization (N630, N720) led to soil acidification (pH decline of 0.51–1.67 units), irrespective of straw management. Straw return increased soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), nitrate (NO3−-N), and available potassium (AK), but decreased ammonium (NH4+-N). Bacterial diversity increased at moderate N rates but decreased at higher N rates. Fungal diversity was generally higher under straw removal, with Chaetomiaceae increasing under straw return, whereas Mortierellaceae and Trichocomaceae declined at high N levels. The Mantel test showed a strong correlation between soil pH and bacterial diversity, while fungal composition was influenced by SOC, TN, and NO3−-N. Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) demonstrated that N fertilization directly and indirectly increased wheat yield through improved soil properties, while straw return enhanced bacterial diversity, indirectly supported wheat yield. This study highlights the importance of balanced N fertilization and straw incorporation in maintaining bacterial community structure, fertility, and long-term crop productivity in intensive cropping systems on Vertisol.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1554657/fullnitrogen fertilizationstraw incorporationsoil microbial diversitycrop productivitysustainable soil management |
| spellingShingle | Zichun Guo Rui Qian Rui Qian Rui Qian Wei Li Tianyu Ding Tianyu Ding Lei Gao Lei Gao Xinhua Peng Long-term straw return with moderate nitrogen levels reshapes soil bacterial communities in a vertisol Frontiers in Microbiology nitrogen fertilization straw incorporation soil microbial diversity crop productivity sustainable soil management |
| title | Long-term straw return with moderate nitrogen levels reshapes soil bacterial communities in a vertisol |
| title_full | Long-term straw return with moderate nitrogen levels reshapes soil bacterial communities in a vertisol |
| title_fullStr | Long-term straw return with moderate nitrogen levels reshapes soil bacterial communities in a vertisol |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long-term straw return with moderate nitrogen levels reshapes soil bacterial communities in a vertisol |
| title_short | Long-term straw return with moderate nitrogen levels reshapes soil bacterial communities in a vertisol |
| title_sort | long term straw return with moderate nitrogen levels reshapes soil bacterial communities in a vertisol |
| topic | nitrogen fertilization straw incorporation soil microbial diversity crop productivity sustainable soil management |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1554657/full |
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