Effects of a Diatom–<i>Bacillus megatherium</i> Biocrust on Nutrient Limitation and Ryegrass Growth in Fluvo-Aquic Soil Along the Yellow River
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) promote plant growth by regulating soil nutrient dynamics and enhancing soil structure through the microorganisms they host. However, their impact on microbial nutrient limitation, a critical factor in nutrient cycling, remains underexplored. This study hypothesize...
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2024-11-01
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| author | Xuejia Zheng Jiachen Pan Zhongjin Sun Zhencui Jiang Shiwei Chen Yanhui Liu Yuyang Li Xin Li Xiaoting Sun Ning Ma Chen Li Yang Li Jiaxin Wei Congzhi Zhang Zhi Dong Qicong Wu |
| author_facet | Xuejia Zheng Jiachen Pan Zhongjin Sun Zhencui Jiang Shiwei Chen Yanhui Liu Yuyang Li Xin Li Xiaoting Sun Ning Ma Chen Li Yang Li Jiaxin Wei Congzhi Zhang Zhi Dong Qicong Wu |
| author_sort | Xuejia Zheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) promote plant growth by regulating soil nutrient dynamics and enhancing soil structure through the microorganisms they host. However, their impact on microbial nutrient limitation, a critical factor in nutrient cycling, remains underexplored. This study hypothesized that different types of biocrusts modulate soil nutrient limitations, influencing plant growth. A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of four treatments—control, diatom, <i>Bacillus megatherium</i>, and diatom–<i>B. megatherium</i> biocrusts—on soil structure, nutrient availability, microbial nutrient limitation, and ryegrass growth after 40 days of cultivation. The results indicated that the <i>B. megatherium</i> treatment exacerbated microbial C and N limitations and reduced available phosphorus (by 41.80%) and ryegrass biomass (by 29.19%) compared to the control. The diatom-<i>B. megatherium</i> treatment alleviated nutrient limitations but increased nutrient competition between soil microbes and plants, impairing plant performance. In contrast, the diatom treatment enhanced soil structure, alleviated microbial nutrient limitations, and significantly improved total capillary porosity (by 10%), available phosphorus (by 22.91%), saturated water content (by 21.81%), and ryegrass biomass (by 76.05%) while reducing soil bulk density (by 9.63%). These findings provide practical insights and a theoretical foundation for utilizing biocrusts to improve fluvo-aquic soil quality and promote sustainable plant growth. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-905b0fd3cbb04d9cba4ac777ce1f5198 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
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| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-905b0fd3cbb04d9cba4ac777ce1f51982025-08-20T02:55:49ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952024-11-011412283110.3390/agronomy14122831Effects of a Diatom–<i>Bacillus megatherium</i> Biocrust on Nutrient Limitation and Ryegrass Growth in Fluvo-Aquic Soil Along the Yellow RiverXuejia Zheng0Jiachen Pan1Zhongjin Sun2Zhencui Jiang3Shiwei Chen4Yanhui Liu5Yuyang Li6Xin Li7Xiaoting Sun8Ning Ma9Chen Li10Yang Li11Jiaxin Wei12Congzhi Zhang13Zhi Dong14Qicong Wu15Co-Innovation Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Forest and Grass Ecological Conservation in the Yellow River Basin of Shandong Province, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Forest and Grass Ecological Conservation in the Yellow River Basin of Shandong Province, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaShandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources No.2 Geological Brigade, Shandong Provincial Lunan Geology and Exploration Institute, Jining 272100, ChinaYantai Agricultural Technology Extension Center, Yantai 264000, ChinaShandong Rural Science and Technology Education and Training Center, Shandong Agricultural Radio and Television School, Jinan 250100, ChinaJingtai County Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Center, Baiyin 730400, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Forest and Grass Ecological Conservation in the Yellow River Basin of Shandong Province, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Forest and Grass Ecological Conservation in the Yellow River Basin of Shandong Province, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Forest and Grass Ecological Conservation in the Yellow River Basin of Shandong Province, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Forest and Grass Ecological Conservation in the Yellow River Basin of Shandong Province, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Forest and Grass Ecological Conservation in the Yellow River Basin of Shandong Province, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Forest and Grass Ecological Conservation in the Yellow River Basin of Shandong Province, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Forest and Grass Ecological Conservation in the Yellow River Basin of Shandong Province, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaState Experimental Station of Agro-Ecosystem in Fengqiu, State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 211135, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Forest and Grass Ecological Conservation in the Yellow River Basin of Shandong Province, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Forest and Grass Ecological Conservation in the Yellow River Basin of Shandong Province, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaBiological soil crusts (biocrusts) promote plant growth by regulating soil nutrient dynamics and enhancing soil structure through the microorganisms they host. However, their impact on microbial nutrient limitation, a critical factor in nutrient cycling, remains underexplored. This study hypothesized that different types of biocrusts modulate soil nutrient limitations, influencing plant growth. A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of four treatments—control, diatom, <i>Bacillus megatherium</i>, and diatom–<i>B. megatherium</i> biocrusts—on soil structure, nutrient availability, microbial nutrient limitation, and ryegrass growth after 40 days of cultivation. The results indicated that the <i>B. megatherium</i> treatment exacerbated microbial C and N limitations and reduced available phosphorus (by 41.80%) and ryegrass biomass (by 29.19%) compared to the control. The diatom-<i>B. megatherium</i> treatment alleviated nutrient limitations but increased nutrient competition between soil microbes and plants, impairing plant performance. In contrast, the diatom treatment enhanced soil structure, alleviated microbial nutrient limitations, and significantly improved total capillary porosity (by 10%), available phosphorus (by 22.91%), saturated water content (by 21.81%), and ryegrass biomass (by 76.05%) while reducing soil bulk density (by 9.63%). These findings provide practical insights and a theoretical foundation for utilizing biocrusts to improve fluvo-aquic soil quality and promote sustainable plant growth.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/2831biological soil crustssoil microbial processesnutrient cyclingplant biomasssoil nutrients |
| spellingShingle | Xuejia Zheng Jiachen Pan Zhongjin Sun Zhencui Jiang Shiwei Chen Yanhui Liu Yuyang Li Xin Li Xiaoting Sun Ning Ma Chen Li Yang Li Jiaxin Wei Congzhi Zhang Zhi Dong Qicong Wu Effects of a Diatom–<i>Bacillus megatherium</i> Biocrust on Nutrient Limitation and Ryegrass Growth in Fluvo-Aquic Soil Along the Yellow River Agronomy biological soil crusts soil microbial processes nutrient cycling plant biomass soil nutrients |
| title | Effects of a Diatom–<i>Bacillus megatherium</i> Biocrust on Nutrient Limitation and Ryegrass Growth in Fluvo-Aquic Soil Along the Yellow River |
| title_full | Effects of a Diatom–<i>Bacillus megatherium</i> Biocrust on Nutrient Limitation and Ryegrass Growth in Fluvo-Aquic Soil Along the Yellow River |
| title_fullStr | Effects of a Diatom–<i>Bacillus megatherium</i> Biocrust on Nutrient Limitation and Ryegrass Growth in Fluvo-Aquic Soil Along the Yellow River |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of a Diatom–<i>Bacillus megatherium</i> Biocrust on Nutrient Limitation and Ryegrass Growth in Fluvo-Aquic Soil Along the Yellow River |
| title_short | Effects of a Diatom–<i>Bacillus megatherium</i> Biocrust on Nutrient Limitation and Ryegrass Growth in Fluvo-Aquic Soil Along the Yellow River |
| title_sort | effects of a diatom i bacillus megatherium i biocrust on nutrient limitation and ryegrass growth in fluvo aquic soil along the yellow river |
| topic | biological soil crusts soil microbial processes nutrient cycling plant biomass soil nutrients |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/2831 |
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