Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105890
Qing Wang , Yu Xin , Kun Yang , Suiliang Wang , Zhiyong Yu , Junfeng Qu , Yunze Ruan , Zhijun Zhang
Nitrification plays a vital role in shaping nitrogen (N) availability and soil acidification. However, effects of lime and N fertilizer amendment on nitrification and microbial communities in acidic soils remain poorly understood. Here, we carried out a short-term microcosm experiment on two acidic soils with distinct land-use types (tea plantation versus vegetable cultivation) to study the impacts of lime and/or ammonium sulfate (NH4+) on net nitrification rates (NNR), the abundances of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), complete ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (Comammox), and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and bacterial communities. We observed that lime-only did not immediately impact NNR in both soils in the beginning of incubation period, but it increased significantly towards the end of the experiment, and combining lime with NH4+ enhanced this effect. Particularly, the NH4+-only increased NNR in vegetable soil, but decreased it in tea plantation soil. In vegetable soil, the abundance of AOB, Comammox, Nitrobacter-like NOB, and Nitrospira-like NOB increased to a greater extent under lime + NH4+ treatment relative to the NH4+ treatment after a 45-day incubation. However, this pattern was only observed for Comammox and Nitrobacter-like NOB in tea plantation soil. AOB, Comammox, and Nitrobacter-like NOB were correlated with NNR in tea plantation soil, while all nitrifiers jointly shaped it in vegetable soil. In addition, lime and/or NH4+ substantially decreased bacterial α-diversity in tea plantation soil, while only lime with or without NH4+ increased it in vegetable soil. Both lime and/or NH4+ altered bacterial community structure at the phylum level. Overall, above findings highlight the ecological importance of lime- and ammonium-induced impacts on soil N cycling and microbial communities across different types of acidic soils.
{"title":"Differential impacts of lime and nitrogen amendment on nitrification, ammonia oxidizers, nitrite oxidizers, and bacterial communities in two acidic soils","authors":"Qing Wang , Yu Xin , Kun Yang , Suiliang Wang , Zhiyong Yu , Junfeng Qu , Yunze Ruan , Zhijun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105890","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105890","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nitrification plays a vital role in shaping nitrogen (N) availability and soil acidification. However, effects of lime and N fertilizer amendment on nitrification and microbial communities in acidic soils remain poorly understood. Here, we carried out a short-term microcosm experiment on two acidic soils with distinct land-use types (tea plantation versus vegetable cultivation) to study the impacts of lime and/or ammonium sulfate (NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>) on net nitrification rates (NNR), the abundances of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), complete ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (Comammox), and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and bacterial communities. We observed that lime-only did not immediately impact NNR in both soils in the beginning of incubation period, but it increased significantly towards the end of the experiment, and combining lime with NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> enhanced this effect. Particularly, the NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>-only increased NNR in vegetable soil, but decreased it in tea plantation soil. In vegetable soil, the abundance of AOB, Comammox, <em>Nitrobacter</em>-like NOB, and <em>Nitrospira</em>-like NOB increased to a greater extent under lime + NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> treatment relative to the NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> treatment after a 45-day incubation. However, this pattern was only observed for Comammox and <em>Nitrobacter</em>-like NOB in tea plantation soil. AOB, Comammox, and <em>Nitrobacter</em>-like NOB were correlated with NNR in tea plantation soil, while all nitrifiers jointly shaped it in vegetable soil. In addition, lime and/or NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> substantially decreased bacterial α-diversity in tea plantation soil, while only lime with or without NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> increased it in vegetable soil. Both lime and/or NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> altered bacterial community structure at the phylum level. Overall, above findings highlight the ecological importance of lime- and ammonium-induced impacts on soil N cycling and microbial communities across different types of acidic soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 105890"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105899
Lei Wang , Ailing Wang , Jie Sun , Zhanhui Tang
Plant-soil feedback (PSF) can facilitate plant invasions by influencing plant performance and herbivore resistance, with environmental factors modulating these effects. Invasive plants are often subjected to a range of herbivores in nature, including both above- and belowground herbivores. However, the PSF effects on the intricate interactions between invasive plants and above- and belowground herbivores remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we experimentally estimated the direct effects of the PSF on the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides under root herbivory (induced by the nematode Meloidogyne incognita) and the indirect effects of root herbivory on aboveground herbivory (by Spodoptera litura) in legacy soils by a potted experiment. We found that root herbivory reduced the positive PSF of the legacy soils to invasive plants, and the legacy soils can also reduce the density and parasitism of the root herbivores. Moreover, the combined effect of legacy soils and root herbivory led to a reduction in foliar herbivory on invasive plants. Legacy soils had a stronger impact on invasive plant growth, nutrient allocation, and foliar herbivory compared to root herbivory. These results highlight the importance of belowground herbivores in shaping PSF effects, and suggest that PSF can be influenced by root herbivory, and subsequently affected foliar herbivory. Our findings provided novel insights into the role of PSF in mediating interactions between above- and belowground herbivory in the context of plant invasion.
{"title":"Belowground herbivory alter invasive plant-soil feedback and reduce aboveground herbivory","authors":"Lei Wang , Ailing Wang , Jie Sun , Zhanhui Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105899","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105899","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant-soil feedback (PSF) can facilitate plant invasions by influencing plant performance and herbivore resistance, with environmental factors modulating these effects. Invasive plants are often subjected to a range of herbivores in nature, including both above- and belowground herbivores. However, the PSF effects on the intricate interactions between invasive plants and above- and belowground herbivores remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we experimentally estimated the direct effects of the PSF on the invasive plant <em>Alternanthera philoxeroides</em> under root herbivory (induced by the nematode <em>Meloidogyne incognita</em>) and the indirect effects of root herbivory on aboveground herbivory (by <em>Spodoptera litura</em>) in legacy soils by a potted experiment. We found that root herbivory reduced the positive PSF of the legacy soils to invasive plants, and the legacy soils can also reduce the density and parasitism of the root herbivores. Moreover, the combined effect of legacy soils and root herbivory led to a reduction in foliar herbivory on invasive plants. Legacy soils had a stronger impact on invasive plant growth, nutrient allocation, and foliar herbivory compared to root herbivory. These results highlight the importance of belowground herbivores in shaping PSF effects, and suggest that PSF can be influenced by root herbivory, and subsequently affected foliar herbivory. Our findings provided novel insights into the role of PSF in mediating interactions between above- and belowground herbivory in the context of plant invasion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 105899"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105800
Qingmei Lin , Shuotong Chen , Xiao Feng , Thammavongsa Sounilan , Kun Cheng , Xuhui Zhang , Rongjun Bian , Xiaoyu Liu , Yan Wang , Marios Drosos , Jufeng Zheng , Lianqing Li , Genxing Pan
Preservation of soil organic carbon (SOC) of forestlands has been challenged with land degradation and climate warming. However, the impact of lithology on SOC preservation in karst forestlands has been poorly addressed. Topsoil core samples of forestlands were collected from karst terrains in central Guizhou, Southwest China, over sandstone (SS), dolomite (DS), and limestone (LS) bedrocks. The changes in SOC pool distribution and molecular composition were examined through size and density fractionation of water-stable aggregates coupled with biomarker assays. The soils on DS (sandy loam) and LS (loam) were finer than those on SS (loamy sand) in texture. 1:1 clay minerals dominated in SS (100 %), while 2:1 clay minerals in DS (90.6 %) and LS (77.2 %). For the mass proportion of macroaggregates, the soil on DS (45.3 %) was significantly higher by 31 %–33 % compared to those on SS and LS. Similarly, for the mean weight diameter of aggregates, the soil on DS was greater by 27 %–29 % than those on SS and LS. Furthermore, the topsoil SOC on DS (51.0 g kg−1) was significantly higher by 24 % than that on SS and by 15 % than that on LS. Following the trend of clay mineralogy, the storage of particulate OC on DS (25 g kg−1) was significantly higher by 108 % than that on SS and by 39 % than that on LS. Plant-derived lipids (PL, including cutin, suberin, long-chain fatty acids, and phytosterols) were abundant in macroaggregates and microaggregates compared to the silt-clay fractions, while microbial-derived lipids (ML) remained similar across aggregate size fractions. Moreover, PL preservation followed the order of LS > DS > SS. Notably, the DS soils exhibited higher abundances of lignin phenols and ML, while the SS soils had lower abundance of lignin phenols but higher abundance of p-hydroxy phenols. Thus, lithology impacted SOC accumulation via shaping pool distribution and selective preservation of plant-derived OCs in soil aggregates, via modulation of soil texture and clay mineralogy. Forest soils on dolomite provided higher SOC storage through enhanced aggregation with the rich 2:1 clay minerals.
{"title":"Lithological impact on topsoil organic carbon storage of karst forest soils shaped by aggregate pool complexity and their molecular composition","authors":"Qingmei Lin , Shuotong Chen , Xiao Feng , Thammavongsa Sounilan , Kun Cheng , Xuhui Zhang , Rongjun Bian , Xiaoyu Liu , Yan Wang , Marios Drosos , Jufeng Zheng , Lianqing Li , Genxing Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105800","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105800","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Preservation of soil organic carbon (SOC) of forestlands has been challenged with land degradation and climate warming. However, the impact of lithology on SOC preservation in karst forestlands has been poorly addressed. Topsoil core samples of forestlands were collected from karst terrains in central Guizhou, Southwest China, over sandstone (SS), dolomite (DS), and limestone (LS) bedrocks. The changes in SOC pool distribution and molecular composition were examined through size and density fractionation of water-stable aggregates coupled with biomarker assays. The soils on DS (sandy loam) and LS (loam) were finer than those on SS (loamy sand) in texture. 1:1 clay minerals dominated in SS (100 %), while 2:1 clay minerals in DS (90.6 %) and LS (77.2 %). For the mass proportion of macroaggregates, the soil on DS (45.3 %) was significantly higher by 31 %–33 % compared to those on SS and LS. Similarly, for the mean weight diameter of aggregates, the soil on DS was greater by 27 %–29 % than those on SS and LS. Furthermore, the topsoil SOC on DS (51.0 g kg<sup>−1</sup>) was significantly higher by 24 % than that on SS and by 15 % than that on LS. Following the trend of clay mineralogy, the storage of particulate OC on DS (25 g kg<sup>−1</sup>) was significantly higher by 108 % than that on SS and by 39 % than that on LS. Plant-derived lipids (PL, including cutin, suberin, long-chain fatty acids, and phytosterols) were abundant in macroaggregates and microaggregates compared to the silt-clay fractions, while microbial-derived lipids (ML) remained similar across aggregate size fractions. Moreover, PL preservation followed the order of LS > DS > SS. Notably, the DS soils exhibited higher abundances of lignin phenols and ML, while the SS soils had lower abundance of lignin phenols but higher abundance of <em>p</em>-hydroxy phenols. Thus, lithology impacted SOC accumulation via shaping pool distribution and selective preservation of plant-derived OCs in soil aggregates, via modulation of soil texture and clay mineralogy. Forest soils on dolomite provided higher SOC storage through enhanced aggregation with the rich 2:1 clay minerals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 105800"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105830
Myriam Arcidiacono, Laura Ercoli, Gaia Piazza, Elisa Pellegrino
Improving reliability and effectiveness of microbial inoculants in crops is a pressing necessity due to recent increases in price of synthetic fertilizers and environmental concerns related to their application. Usually, field inoculation of beneficial microbes, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), manipulates abundance and species composition, making it difficult to disentangle their independent effects. In this study, we investigated for the first time the mechanisms behind the agronomic performance of sunflower after field inoculation with a local AM fungal consortium under high and low soil fertility. The abundance of AMF in roots was promoted by inoculation more in low than high soil fertility. In both soil conditions, up to 68 % of the AM fungal taxa retrieved in roots were shared between the inoculated and control plants, confirming minor changes in AM fungal community composition. On the contrary, the structure of AM fungal community was modified by inoculation. Inoculation improved grain yield by 16 % in low soil fertility, oil yield up to 36 %, and enhanced grain content of nutrients under both soil conditions. The best predictor of agronomic performance of sunflower was percentage of AM fungal root colonization in high soil fertility and percentage of vesicles in low fertility. The structure of AM fungal community was not correlated with crop functional parameters under high soil fertility, while under low fertility the occurrence of Rhizophagus sp. VTX00105 in roots was the best predictor. Overall, our results demonstrated that local AM fungal inoculants do not affect root AM fungal composition, but increases abundance and modifies the structure of AM fungal community in roots. These modifications are associated with improvements in sunflower grain and oil yield, and in seed nutritional value, especially in low soil fertility. However, the mechanisms behind the functioning of field inoculum on crop performance were revealed to be context-dependent.
{"title":"Field inoculation with a local arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal consortium promotes sunflower agronomic traits without changing the composition of AM fungi coexisting inside the crop roots","authors":"Myriam Arcidiacono, Laura Ercoli, Gaia Piazza, Elisa Pellegrino","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105830","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105830","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Improving reliability and effectiveness of microbial inoculants in crops is a pressing necessity due to recent increases in price of synthetic fertilizers and environmental concerns related to their application. Usually, field inoculation of beneficial microbes, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), manipulates abundance and species composition, making it difficult to disentangle their independent effects. In this study, we investigated for the first time the mechanisms behind the agronomic performance of sunflower after field inoculation with a local AM fungal consortium under high and low soil fertility. The abundance of AMF in roots was promoted by inoculation more in low than high soil fertility. In both soil conditions, up to 68 % of the AM fungal taxa retrieved in roots were shared between the inoculated and control plants, confirming minor changes in AM fungal community composition. On the contrary, the structure of AM fungal community was modified by inoculation. Inoculation improved grain yield by 16 % in low soil fertility, oil yield up to 36 %, and enhanced grain content of nutrients under both soil conditions. The best predictor of agronomic performance of sunflower was percentage of AM fungal root colonization in high soil fertility and percentage of vesicles in low fertility. The structure of AM fungal community was not correlated with crop functional parameters under high soil fertility, while under low fertility the occurrence of <em>Rhizophagus</em> sp. VTX00105 in roots was the best predictor. Overall, our results demonstrated that local AM fungal inoculants do not affect root AM fungal composition, but increases abundance and modifies the structure of AM fungal community in roots. These modifications are associated with improvements in sunflower grain and oil yield, and in seed nutritional value, especially in low soil fertility. However, the mechanisms behind the functioning of field inoculum on crop performance were revealed to be context-dependent.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 105830"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105862
Mingxia Yang , Chen Ban , Tianyi Zhao , Jia Zhao , Ningning Zhou , Lin Ma , Jianbin Zhou , Xiaofang Deng
Biological nitrification inhibitors play a vital role in mitigating soil nitrate (NO3−-N) accumulation, improving nitrogen (N) utilization efficiency, and reducing environmental pollution. Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) seed extract (MSE) has a great potential to inhibit soil nitrification as it contains antioxidant bioactive compounds (e.g., polyphenols, flavonoids). However, the specific inhibitory effect of MSE on nitrification in different types of agricultural soils are still elusive. Here, grain field and greenhouse vegetable soils were chosen to investigate the effects of MSE on soil nitrification, microbial NO3−-N immobilization, and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted with five treatments: no N fertilizer (control), N fertilizer alone, N fertilizer with MSE, N fertilizer with 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), and N fertilizer with glucose. Compared to N application alone, MSE addition resulted in significantly higher NH4+-N concentrations between 156 and 1274 mg kg−1 in the soils, with low NO3−-N concentrations <20 mg kg−1 throughout the incubation period. While DMPP only suppressed the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), MSE reduced the abundances of both ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and AOB. MSE addition also increased the concentration of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) in the soils and decreased the cumulative N2O emissions by 63–74 %. The findings uncover that MSE inhibited soil nitrification by suppressing AOA and AOB activities and concurrently enhanced microbial immobilization of inorganic N. The results provide a promising new material and idea to reduce NO3−-N accumulation in agricultural soils.
{"title":"Harnessing moringa seed extract for control of soil nitrate accumulation and nitrous oxide emissions on the Loess Plateau","authors":"Mingxia Yang , Chen Ban , Tianyi Zhao , Jia Zhao , Ningning Zhou , Lin Ma , Jianbin Zhou , Xiaofang Deng","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105862","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105862","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biological nitrification inhibitors play a vital role in mitigating soil nitrate (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>-N) accumulation, improving nitrogen (N) utilization efficiency, and reducing environmental pollution. Moringa (<em>Moringa oleifera</em> Lam.) seed extract (MSE) has a great potential to inhibit soil nitrification as it contains antioxidant bioactive compounds (e.g., polyphenols, flavonoids). However, the specific inhibitory effect of MSE on nitrification in different types of agricultural soils are still elusive. Here, grain field and greenhouse vegetable soils were chosen to investigate the effects of MSE on soil nitrification, microbial NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>-N immobilization, and nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O) emissions. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted with five treatments: no N fertilizer (control), N fertilizer alone, N fertilizer with MSE, N fertilizer with 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), and N fertilizer with glucose. Compared to N application alone, MSE addition resulted in significantly higher NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>-N concentrations between 156 and 1274 mg kg<sup>−1</sup> in the soils, with low NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>-N concentrations <20 mg kg<sup>−1</sup> throughout the incubation period. While DMPP only suppressed the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), MSE reduced the abundances of both ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and AOB. MSE addition also increased the concentration of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) in the soils and decreased the cumulative N<sub>2</sub>O emissions by 63–74 %. The findings uncover that MSE inhibited soil nitrification by suppressing AOA and AOB activities and concurrently enhanced microbial immobilization of inorganic N. The results provide a promising new material and idea to reduce NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>-N accumulation in agricultural soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 105862"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105873
Jiajie Song , Shahzad Haider , Jianheng Song , Dingding Zhang , Sen Chang , Jinze Bai , Jiaqi Hao , Gaihe Yang , Guangxin Ren , Xinhui Han , Xiaojiao Wang , Chengjie Ren , Yongzhong Feng , Xing Wang
Diazotrophs play a vital role in biological nitrogen fixation in agroecosystems. Stoichiometric characterization of soil extracellular enzymes is a key indicator of the effectiveness of microbial nutrient acquisition. However, the mechanisms for exploring the effects of long-term mulching practices on rhizosphere diazotrophic communities and their response to enzyme stoichiometry from the soybean phenology remain unclear. In this study, based on long-term experiments, we adopted four mulching patterns no mulching (CK), straw mulching (SM), plastic mulching (PM) and ridged and plastic mulching (RM). The dynamic changes of rhizosphere soil nutrient characteristics, enzyme stoichiometry characteristics, and diazotrophic dominant communities of soybean were investigated. The study results showed that nutrient content, enzyme activity, and diazotrophic community structure of the rhizosphere soil changed significantly as the soybean growth phenology progressed. Compared to CK, SM treatment enhanced the soil organic carbon (SOC) content (four-leaf (V4) +18.78 %, full-pod (R4) +18.23 %, full maturity (R8) +28.66 %). At R8, the SM treatment significantly increased the soil total nitrogen (STN) content by 16.67 % compared to CK. Our applying vector-threshold (V-T) modeling analysis showed that rhizosphere soil was not carbon (C)-limited. Soil microbial nutrient limitation shifts from nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) limitation and finally to N-limitation. In addition, we found that diazotrophs were dominated by Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria, at the diazotrophic class level. The dominant diazotrophic genera were Azohydromonas, Bradyrhizobium, and Skermanella. Furthermore, microbial nutrient limitation regressed linearly with the dominant genus. The results indicated a negative correlation between the relative abundance of Azohydromonas, Bradyrhizobium, and Skermanella and microbial N limitation; we observed that mulching measures significantly increased soil mineral N content and promoted an increase in the abundance of dominant diazotrophic genera, thereby effectively mitigating the N limitation faced by microorganisms. Finally, partial least squares path model was used to verify that mulching measures can improve the dominant diazotrophic genera by adjusting the soil physical and chemical properties and regulating VTN/P limitation. Additionally, diazotrophs modify VTN/P limitation by regulating the activity of extracellular enzyme secretion. This study presents a valuable contribution to the domain of enzymatic stoichiometry within agricultural ecosystems, enriching the understanding of relevant processes and offering scientific and technological support for agricultural production.
{"title":"Regulation of soil microbial nitrogen limitation by soybean rhizosphere diazotrophs under long-term no-till mulching","authors":"Jiajie Song , Shahzad Haider , Jianheng Song , Dingding Zhang , Sen Chang , Jinze Bai , Jiaqi Hao , Gaihe Yang , Guangxin Ren , Xinhui Han , Xiaojiao Wang , Chengjie Ren , Yongzhong Feng , Xing Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105873","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105873","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diazotrophs play a vital role in biological nitrogen fixation in agroecosystems. Stoichiometric characterization of soil extracellular enzymes is a key indicator of the effectiveness of microbial nutrient acquisition. However, the mechanisms for exploring the effects of long-term mulching practices on rhizosphere diazotrophic communities and their response to enzyme stoichiometry from the soybean phenology remain unclear. In this study, based on long-term experiments, we adopted four mulching patterns no mulching (CK), straw mulching (SM), plastic mulching (PM) and ridged and plastic mulching (RM). The dynamic changes of rhizosphere soil nutrient characteristics, enzyme stoichiometry characteristics, and diazotrophic dominant communities of soybean were investigated. The study results showed that nutrient content, enzyme activity, and diazotrophic community structure of the rhizosphere soil changed significantly as the soybean growth phenology progressed. Compared to CK, SM treatment enhanced the soil organic carbon (SOC) content (four-leaf (V4) +18.78 %, full-pod (R4) +18.23 %, full maturity (R8) +28.66 %). At R8, the SM treatment significantly increased the soil total nitrogen (STN) content by 16.67 % compared to CK. Our applying vector-threshold (V-T) modeling analysis showed that rhizosphere soil was not carbon (C)-limited. Soil microbial nutrient limitation shifts from nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) limitation and finally to N-limitation. In addition, we found that diazotrophs were dominated by <em>Alphaproteobacteria</em> and <em>Betaproteobacteria,</em> at the diazotrophic class level<em>.</em> The dominant diazotrophic genera were <em>Azohydromonas</em>, <em>Bradyrhizobium</em>, and <em>Skermanella</em>. Furthermore, microbial nutrient limitation regressed linearly with the dominant genus. The results indicated a negative correlation between the relative abundance of <em>Azohydromonas</em>, <em>Bradyrhizobium</em>, and <em>Skermanella</em> and microbial N limitation; we observed that mulching measures significantly increased soil mineral N content and promoted an increase in the abundance of dominant diazotrophic genera, thereby effectively mitigating the N limitation faced by microorganisms. Finally, partial least squares path model was used to verify that mulching measures can improve the dominant diazotrophic genera by adjusting the soil physical and chemical properties and regulating VT<sub>N/P limitation</sub>. Additionally, diazotrophs modify VT<sub>N/P limitation</sub> by regulating the activity of extracellular enzyme secretion. This study presents a valuable contribution to the domain of enzymatic stoichiometry within agricultural ecosystems, enriching the understanding of relevant processes and offering scientific and technological support for agricultural production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 105873"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105861
Sierra D. Jech , Kara Dohrenwend , Natalie Day , Nichole N. Barger , Anita Antoninka , Matthew A. Bowker , Sasha Reed , Colin Tucker
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are a coherent, thin soil surface layer, engineered and inhabited by a diverse community of moss, lichen, cyanobacteria, and other microorganisms. Biocrusts provide critical functions in dryland systems and may be lost from the ecosystem through physical disturbance or other global change drivers. Once biocrusts are lost, natural recovery can occur very slowly. This has led to the development of biocrust rehabilitation strategies, including cultivation of biocrust propagules to inoculate degraded sites. As the need for biocrust restoration grows in scale and across different regions, inoculum cultivation and application methods are being asked to keep up. In this work, we evaluate cyanobacterial community composition and abundance in greenhouse and field cultivation systems, with and without growth substrate and shade treatments. We also consider cultivation of locally and non-locally sourced biocrust inocula at a single cultivation facility on the Colorado Plateau. We found that field cultivation is a viable option for biocrust cultivation. For almost all cyanobacteria, habitat amelioration was necessary for growth in the field. Despite differences in inocula composition following cultivation, restoration outcomes five months after inoculation were poor with no significant increases in cyanobacterial abundance, soil chlorophyll a, or soil exopolysaccharide content. Thus, more work is needed to boost the initial growth and survival of biocrust inocula, regardless of the method of cultivation (i.e., greenhouse or field). Future work focused on assessing opportunities for habitat amelioration during application to improve biocrust establishment during this critical restoration phase would be highly valuable.
{"title":"Developing biocrust field cultivation techniques for soil restoration: An assessment of bacterial communities","authors":"Sierra D. Jech , Kara Dohrenwend , Natalie Day , Nichole N. Barger , Anita Antoninka , Matthew A. Bowker , Sasha Reed , Colin Tucker","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105861","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105861","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are a coherent, thin soil surface layer, engineered and inhabited by a diverse community of moss, lichen, cyanobacteria, and other microorganisms. Biocrusts provide critical functions in dryland systems and may be lost from the ecosystem through physical disturbance or other global change drivers. Once biocrusts are lost, natural recovery can occur very slowly. This has led to the development of biocrust rehabilitation strategies, including cultivation of biocrust propagules to inoculate degraded sites. As the need for biocrust restoration grows in scale and across different regions, inoculum cultivation and application methods are being asked to keep up. In this work, we evaluate cyanobacterial community composition and abundance in greenhouse and field cultivation systems, with and without growth substrate and shade treatments. We also consider cultivation of locally and non-locally sourced biocrust inocula at a single cultivation facility on the Colorado Plateau. We found that field cultivation is a viable option for biocrust cultivation. For almost all cyanobacteria, habitat amelioration was necessary for growth in the field. Despite differences in inocula composition following cultivation, restoration outcomes five months after inoculation were poor with no significant increases in cyanobacterial abundance, soil chlorophyll <em>a</em>, or soil exopolysaccharide content. Thus, more work is needed to boost the initial growth and survival of biocrust inocula, regardless of the method of cultivation (i.e., greenhouse or field). Future work focused on assessing opportunities for habitat amelioration during application to improve biocrust establishment during this critical restoration phase would be highly valuable.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 105861"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143132034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105881
Nick van Eekeren , Jurre Dekker , Rob Geerts , Pedro Janssen , Anthonie Stip , Tim Visser , Jaap Bloem , Ron de Goede
Intensification of agriculture has reduced both aboveground and belowground biodiversity, as well as their ecosystem services. A transition towards regenerative agricultural systems is supposed to enhance functional agro-biodiversity and create more resilient systems. For dairy or beef farming, extensification towards semi-natural grasslands and establishing multi-species grasslands are potential contributors to this transition. Both grassland types differ in terms of plant diversity and management, but it is unclear whether and how these differences translate into soil quality and soil biodiversity. An on-farm trial was set up in which the abundance and diversity of soil biota was compared between intensively managed species-poor permanent grasslands, intensively managed frequently re-seeded multi-species grasslands, and extensively managed species-rich semi-natural grasslands. Total abundance and biomass of nematodes, micro-arthropods and earthworms did not differ between these grassland types. Bacterial PLFA was higher in semi-natural grasslands than in multi-species grasslands; intensive-permanent grasslands took an intermediate position. Protozoan PLFA was higher in intensive-permanent grasslands than in multi-species grasslands; semi-natural grasslands took an intermediate position. The grassland management types only had an effect on alpha and gamma diversity in the case of micro-arthropods, with a higher taxonomic richness in semi-natural grasslands. Nematode, micro-arthropod and earthworm taxonomic community structures differed between grassland management types. Differences in abundance and diversity of soil biota between multi-species grasslands on the one hand and intensive-permanent and semi-natural grasslands on the other hand were thought to be mostly related to disturbances caused by tillage and their direct and indirect effects on soil biota and its living conditions. Consequently, longevity without regular soil disturbance is considered important for the transition to grassland systems such as multi-species grasslands that simultaneously utilise and support soil biodiversity and its ecosystem services. However, what must also be considered in decisions on the transition to future farming systems are the impacts on aboveground biodiversity (including insects and birds) and ecosystem services such as agricultural production.
{"title":"Disturbance from tillage is a dominant factor in explaining differences in soil biodiversity of three grasslands management types","authors":"Nick van Eekeren , Jurre Dekker , Rob Geerts , Pedro Janssen , Anthonie Stip , Tim Visser , Jaap Bloem , Ron de Goede","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105881","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105881","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intensification of agriculture has reduced both aboveground and belowground biodiversity, as well as their ecosystem services. A transition towards regenerative agricultural systems is supposed to enhance functional agro-biodiversity and create more resilient systems. For dairy or beef farming, extensification towards semi-natural grasslands and establishing multi-species grasslands are potential contributors to this transition. Both grassland types differ in terms of plant diversity and management, but it is unclear whether and how these differences translate into soil quality and soil biodiversity. An on-farm trial was set up in which the abundance and diversity of soil biota was compared between intensively managed species-poor permanent grasslands, intensively managed frequently re-seeded multi-species grasslands, and extensively managed species-rich semi-natural grasslands. Total abundance and biomass of nematodes, micro-arthropods and earthworms did not differ between these grassland types. Bacterial PLFA was higher in semi-natural grasslands than in multi-species grasslands; intensive-permanent grasslands took an intermediate position. Protozoan PLFA was higher in intensive-permanent grasslands than in multi-species grasslands; semi-natural grasslands took an intermediate position. The grassland management types only had an effect on alpha and gamma diversity in the case of micro-arthropods, with a higher taxonomic richness in semi-natural grasslands. Nematode, micro-arthropod and earthworm taxonomic community structures differed between grassland management types. Differences in abundance and diversity of soil biota between multi-species grasslands on the one hand and intensive-permanent and semi-natural grasslands on the other hand were thought to be mostly related to disturbances caused by tillage and their direct and indirect effects on soil biota and its living conditions. Consequently, longevity without regular soil disturbance is considered important for the transition to grassland systems such as multi-species grasslands that simultaneously utilise and support soil biodiversity and its ecosystem services. However, what must also be considered in decisions on the transition to future farming systems are the impacts on aboveground biodiversity (including insects and birds) and ecosystem services such as agricultural production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 105881"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143132035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105837
Taiki Mori
The Tea Bag Index (TBI) approach was proposed as a simplified method for determining two key indices: the decomposition constant k and the stabilization factor S. In recent years, this method has gained increasing popularity within the field of soil health assessment. Hayes et al. (2024) proposed that extending the incubation period could enhance the accuracy of the TBI approach. However, this recommendation is misleading, as evidenced by the fact that the extended incubation period resulted in greater deviation of the decomposition curves from the observed data. Hayes et al. (2024) also introduced a new metric, termed “biological decomposition,” which represents the simple mass loss ratios of both green and rooibos teas. They suggested to use this metric instead of calculating the TBI. While I fully agree with their recommendation to avoid using the TBI, the rationale for this recommendation should not rely on the reasoning presented by Hayes et al. (2024). Instead, the avoidance of the TBI metrics should be attributed to their fundamental inaccuracy due to biased assumptions.
{"title":"Does extending the incubation period really improve the accuracy of the Tea Bag Index as a measure of soil health?","authors":"Taiki Mori","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105837","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105837","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Tea Bag Index (TBI) approach was proposed as a simplified method for determining two key indices: the decomposition constant <em>k</em> and the stabilization factor <em>S</em>. In recent years, this method has gained increasing popularity within the field of soil health assessment. Hayes et al. (2024) proposed that extending the incubation period could enhance the accuracy of the TBI approach. However, this recommendation is misleading, as evidenced by the fact that the extended incubation period resulted in greater deviation of the decomposition curves from the observed data. Hayes et al. (2024) also introduced a new metric, termed “biological decomposition,” which represents the simple mass loss ratios of both green and rooibos teas. They suggested to use this metric instead of calculating the TBI. While I fully agree with their recommendation to avoid using the TBI, the rationale for this recommendation should not rely on the reasoning presented by Hayes et al. (2024). Instead, the avoidance of the TBI metrics should be attributed to their fundamental inaccuracy due to biased assumptions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 105837"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143132170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105805
Lichun Wang , Song Liu , Guokui Tian , Yang Pan , Haiyan Wang , Guangwei Qiu , Fengyun Li , Ze Pang , Kaixin Ding , Jinpeng Zhang , Hong Xue , Xinyuan Li , Guanghua Wang , Xuepeng Fu
Continuous cropping is a widely adopted cultivation system in intensive agriculture that can lead to a range of soil issues, ultimately affecting aboveground crops growth. However, the assembly process of soil microbial communities and the changes in pathogenic microorganisms under different years of continuous cropping remain unclear. The present study focused on the soil microbial community structure in potato geocaulosphere soil and potato common scab (CS) caused by pathogenic Streptomyces spp. We conducted pot experiment using five different continuous potato cropping soils and five alternative cropping soils (rotation potato cropping and non-potato monocropping). We used qPCR to detect pathogenic gene associated with CS and high-throughput sequencing to assess the microbial community composition. The results indicated that the microbial community structure in geocaulosphere is primarily influenced by the cropping history. Continuous cropping soils exhibited significantly increased bacterial richness and diversity compared to alternative cropping soils, with a distinct difference in microbial community composition. Moreover, null models revealed that deterministic processes driven by homogeneous selection predominated in shaping the assembly of microbial communities in continuous cropping soils. Short-term continuous cropping drove the assembly of soil bacterial communities towards deterministic processes through homogeneous selection, whereas with prolonged continuous cropping, the influence of homogeneous selection gradually diminished. The co-occurrence network of bacteria and fungi under continuous cropping exhibited characteristics of low average degree, high modularity, and high stability. Furthermore, continuous cropping increased the independence of fungal modules. The severity of CS and the presence of a pathogen-containing network module increased with the number of continuous cropping years, and the pathogen-containing network module demonstrated a significant positive correlation with CS. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into the limitations of continuous agricultural cropping systems.
{"title":"Impacts of continuous potato cropping on soil microbial assembly processes and spread of potato common scab","authors":"Lichun Wang , Song Liu , Guokui Tian , Yang Pan , Haiyan Wang , Guangwei Qiu , Fengyun Li , Ze Pang , Kaixin Ding , Jinpeng Zhang , Hong Xue , Xinyuan Li , Guanghua Wang , Xuepeng Fu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105805","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105805","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Continuous cropping is a widely adopted cultivation system in intensive agriculture that can lead to a range of soil issues, ultimately affecting aboveground crops growth. However, the assembly process of soil microbial communities and the changes in pathogenic microorganisms under different years of continuous cropping remain unclear. The present study focused on the soil microbial community structure in potato geocaulosphere soil and potato common scab (CS) caused by pathogenic <em>Streptomyces</em> spp. We conducted pot experiment using five different continuous potato cropping soils and five alternative cropping soils (rotation potato cropping and non-potato monocropping). We used qPCR to detect pathogenic gene associated with CS and high-throughput sequencing to assess the microbial community composition. The results indicated that the microbial community structure in geocaulosphere is primarily influenced by the cropping history. Continuous cropping soils exhibited significantly increased bacterial richness and diversity compared to alternative cropping soils, with a distinct difference in microbial community composition. Moreover, null models revealed that deterministic processes driven by homogeneous selection predominated in shaping the assembly of microbial communities in continuous cropping soils. Short-term continuous cropping drove the assembly of soil bacterial communities towards deterministic processes through homogeneous selection, whereas with prolonged continuous cropping, the influence of homogeneous selection gradually diminished. The co-occurrence network of bacteria and fungi under continuous cropping exhibited characteristics of low average degree, high modularity, and high stability. Furthermore, continuous cropping increased the independence of fungal modules. The severity of CS and the presence of a pathogen-containing network module increased with the number of continuous cropping years, and the pathogen-containing network module demonstrated a significant positive correlation with CS. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into the limitations of continuous agricultural cropping systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 105805"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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