Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems
Crop rotation systems profoundly influence soil phosphorus (P) dynamics through physicochemical and microbial interactions. The mechanisms regulating P availability under various rotational practices remain poorly understood. This five-year field experiment investigated the effects of four rotation...
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2025-04-01
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| author | Yi Yuan Yi Zhu Yichen Zhao Meng Wang Zhaoming Qu Dongqing Lv Yanli Liu Yan Song Tingting Wang Chengliang Li Haojie Feng |
| author_facet | Yi Yuan Yi Zhu Yichen Zhao Meng Wang Zhaoming Qu Dongqing Lv Yanli Liu Yan Song Tingting Wang Chengliang Li Haojie Feng |
| author_sort | Yi Yuan |
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| description | Crop rotation systems profoundly influence soil phosphorus (P) dynamics through physicochemical and microbial interactions. The mechanisms regulating P availability under various rotational practices remain poorly understood. This five-year field experiment investigated the effects of four rotation systems (WM: wheat–maize; WP: wheat–peanut; WS: wheat–soybean; MV: maize–hairy vetch) on soil P fractions, phosphatase activities, P-cycling gene abundance, and their interactions with soil properties. The WM rotation substantially reduced soil pH (6.29) while increasing labile P fractions (Ca<sub>2</sub>-P) and moderately labile P (Al-P, Fe-P, and Ca<sub>8</sub>-P), which was attributed to enhanced acid phosphatase activity. The WP rotation elevated soil pH (8.13) but reduced P availability due to calcium–P immobilization. The MV rotation stimulated microbial P cycling, exhibiting the highest <i>phoD</i> (2.01 × 10<sup>6</sup> copies g<sup>−1</sup>) and <i>phnK</i> (33,140 copies g<sup>−1</sup>) gene abundance, which was linked to green manure-induced microbial activation. Redundancy analysis identified soil pH, total nitrogen, and stoichiometric ratios (C/N and N/P) as key shared drivers of P fractions and enzymatic activity. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS–PM) indicated that crop rotation directly regulated P availability through pH modulation (r = −0.559 ***) and the C/N ratio (r = 0.343 ***) while indirectly regulating P fractions through phosphatase activity. Lower C/N ratios (<10) across all rotation regimes amplified the carbon limitation in the process of P transformation, indicating that exogenous carbon inputs and appropriate stoichiometry in the soil should be optimized. The results of this study inform the selection of suitable crop rotation patterns for sustainable agriculture. |
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| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-e482eac03dc74818a2bc0c4351ec1c1a2025-08-20T02:33:39ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-04-01155102310.3390/agronomy15051023Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation SystemsYi Yuan0Yi Zhu1Yichen Zhao2Meng Wang3Zhaoming Qu4Dongqing Lv5Yanli Liu6Yan Song7Tingting Wang8Chengliang Li9Haojie Feng10National Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, ChinaNational Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, ChinaNational Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, ChinaNational Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, ChinaNational Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, ChinaNational Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, ChinaNational Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, ChinaStanley Agriculture Group Co., Ltd., Linyi 276700, ChinaStanley Agriculture Group Co., Ltd., Linyi 276700, ChinaNational Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, ChinaNational Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, ChinaCrop rotation systems profoundly influence soil phosphorus (P) dynamics through physicochemical and microbial interactions. The mechanisms regulating P availability under various rotational practices remain poorly understood. This five-year field experiment investigated the effects of four rotation systems (WM: wheat–maize; WP: wheat–peanut; WS: wheat–soybean; MV: maize–hairy vetch) on soil P fractions, phosphatase activities, P-cycling gene abundance, and their interactions with soil properties. The WM rotation substantially reduced soil pH (6.29) while increasing labile P fractions (Ca<sub>2</sub>-P) and moderately labile P (Al-P, Fe-P, and Ca<sub>8</sub>-P), which was attributed to enhanced acid phosphatase activity. The WP rotation elevated soil pH (8.13) but reduced P availability due to calcium–P immobilization. The MV rotation stimulated microbial P cycling, exhibiting the highest <i>phoD</i> (2.01 × 10<sup>6</sup> copies g<sup>−1</sup>) and <i>phnK</i> (33,140 copies g<sup>−1</sup>) gene abundance, which was linked to green manure-induced microbial activation. Redundancy analysis identified soil pH, total nitrogen, and stoichiometric ratios (C/N and N/P) as key shared drivers of P fractions and enzymatic activity. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS–PM) indicated that crop rotation directly regulated P availability through pH modulation (r = −0.559 ***) and the C/N ratio (r = 0.343 ***) while indirectly regulating P fractions through phosphatase activity. Lower C/N ratios (<10) across all rotation regimes amplified the carbon limitation in the process of P transformation, indicating that exogenous carbon inputs and appropriate stoichiometry in the soil should be optimized. The results of this study inform the selection of suitable crop rotation patterns for sustainable agriculture.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/5/1023crop rotationphosphorus fractionssoil pHacid phosphatase activityalkaline phosphatase activityC/N |
| spellingShingle | Yi Yuan Yi Zhu Yichen Zhao Meng Wang Zhaoming Qu Dongqing Lv Yanli Liu Yan Song Tingting Wang Chengliang Li Haojie Feng Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems Agronomy crop rotation phosphorus fractions soil pH acid phosphatase activity alkaline phosphatase activity C/N |
| title | Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems |
| title_full | Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems |
| title_fullStr | Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems |
| title_short | Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems |
| title_sort | soil ph and nutrient stoichiometry as key drivers of phosphorus availability in crop rotation systems |
| topic | crop rotation phosphorus fractions soil pH acid phosphatase activity alkaline phosphatase activity C/N |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/5/1023 |
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