Both PU and PC increased maize yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and
partial factor productivity from applied N (PFPN), relative to CK. PC
increased maize yield more than PU, and had higher soil organic carbon
(SOC) content than PU, which was mainly due to the decline in SOC stocks
in the 250–2000, 53–250, and <53 μm soil aggregates. The
soil bacterial community structure was driven by SOC, C: N ratio, total
nitrogen (TN), pH, microaggregates, clay and silt in CK, and by larger
macroaggregates and mean weight diameter in PC and PU. Both PC and PU
significantly changed soil bacterial community beta diversity, and
decreased both positive and negative links of the co-occurrence network,
relative to CK. Better soil nutrient conditions in PC explained the
small number of positive and negative links between soil bacteria. Our
results suggest PM improves maize yield, water and nitrogen use
efficiency, and soil aggregate stability while alleviating bacterial
competition. However, the reduction of SOC and pH caused by PM still
needs our attention. PC alleviates the decline of soil fertility and
soil acidification and has higher yield relative to PU. Therefore, we
proposed PC is a potential agricultural measure that can replace PU on
the Loess Plateau.
Effect of long-term fertilizer type with film mulching on maize yield, soil aggregation and bacteria on the Loess Plateau of China