Long-term effect of organic amendments, mineral fertilizers and combinations thereof, on plant yield, soil physic-chemical and microbiological properties

<p>The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of mineral fertilizer, different composts and combinations of compost/fertilizer as soil amendments on a loamy silt Cambisol after a 27-year field trial. Four different composts were used: urban organic waste (OWC), green waste (GC), farmyard manure (MC) and sewage sludge compost (SSC). In addition to plant growth, (physico-)chemical and microbiological changes in soil properties following amendment were analysed: total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (N), soil pH, water holding capacity (WHC), basal respiration (BR), microbial biomass (C<sub>mic</sub>) and microbial community composition. Fertilization promoted plant growth, when SSC or GC in addition with mineral fertilizer were applied compared to control. Concerning the (physico-) chemical properties only minor differences among the treatments were found. Phosphorus concentrations were three times higher in plots receiving SSC and SSC + N&#160; than control or mineral N fertilizer alone and magnesium concentrations in plots treated with SSC were lower compared to soils treated with GC and MC, respectively. The bacterial community exceeded the fungal one in terms of both richness and diversity. Further, bacterial richness, diversity and community composition differed significantly among the treatments, whereas differences in fungal richness, diversity and composition seemed negligible. Our conclusion is that composts produced from various source materials serve as a valuable source for plant nutrients and can partially substitute mineral fertilizers, modulate soil microbial community and increase fertility. This way, they contribute to the mitigation of climate change.</p>

Download Full-text

New Soil, Old Plants, and Ubiquitous Microbes: Evaluating the Potential of Incipient Basaltic Soil to Support Native Plant Growth and Influence Belowground Soil Microbial Community Composition

10.20944/preprints201809.0300.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Aditi Sengupta ◽

Priyanka Kushwaha ◽

Antonia Jim ◽

Peter A. Troch ◽

Raina Maier

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Community Composition ◽

Plant Species ◽

Soil Microbial Community ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Parent Material ◽

Native Plant ◽

Soil Microbial

The plant-microbe-soil nexus is critical in maintaining biogeochemical balance of the biosphere. However, soil loss and land degradation are occurring at alarmingly high rates, with soil loss exceeding soil formation rates. This necessitates evaluating marginal soils for their capacity to support and sustain plant growth. In a greenhouse study, we evaluated the capacity of marginal incipient basaltic parent material to support native plant growth, and the associated variation in soil microbial community dynamics. Three plant species, native to the Southwestern Arizona-Sonora region were tested with three soil treatments including basaltic parent material, parent material amended with 20% compost, and potting soil. The parent material with and without compost supported germination and growth of all the plant species, though germination was lower than the potting soil. A 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing approach showed Proteobacteria to be the most abundant phyla in both parent material and potting soil, followed by Actinobacteria. Microbial community composition had strong correlations with soil characteristics but not plant attributes within a given soil material. Predictive functional potential capacity of the communities revealed chemoheterotrophy as the most abundant metabolism within the parent material, while photoheterotrophy and anoxygenic photoautotrophy were prevalent in the potting soil. These results show that marginal incipient basaltic soil has the ability to support native plant species growth, and non-linear associations may exist between plant-marginal soil-microbial interactions.

Download Full-text

Response of Soil Microbial Community Structure and Function to Different Altitudes in Arid Valley in Panzhihua, China

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1055315/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Runji Zhang ◽

Xianrui Tian ◽

Quanju Xiang ◽

Petri Penttinen ◽

Yunfu Gu

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Community Composition ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Microbial Biomass C ◽

Chemical Characteristics ◽

Soil Microbial Community Structure ◽

Available N ◽

Different Altitudes

Abstract Background: Altitude affects biodiversity and physic-chemical properties of soil, providing natural sites for studying species distribution and the response of biota to environmental changes. We sampled soil at three altitudes in an arid valley, determined the physic-chemical characteristics and microbial community composition in the soils, identified differentially abundant taxa and the relationships between community composition and environmental factors. Results: The low, medium and high altitudes were roughly separated based on the physic-chemical characteristics and clearly separated based on the microbial community composition. The differences in community composition were associated with differences in all measured factors except pH. The contents of organic and microbial biomass C, total and available N and available P, and the richness and diversity of the microbial communities were lowest in the medium altitude. The relative abundances of phyla Proteobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria were high at all altitudes. The differentially abundant ASVs were mostly assigned to Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria. The highest number of ASVs characterizing altitude were detected in the high altitude. However, the predicted functions of the communities were overlapping, suggesting that the contribution of the communities to soil processes changed relatively little along the altitude gradient. Conclusions: The composition of microbial community at different altitudes was related to the differences of all measuring factors except pH in arid valley in Panzhihua, China.

Download Full-text

Rhizosphere Microbial Community Composition Affects Cadmium and Zinc Uptake by the Metal-Hyperaccumulating Plant Arabidopsis halleri

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.03359-14 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 81 (6) ◽

pp. 2173-2181 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

E. Marie Muehe ◽

Pascal Weigold ◽

Irini J. Adaktylou ◽

Britta Planer-Friedrich ◽

Ute Kraemer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Community Composition ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Soil Microbial Communities ◽

Arabidopsis Halleri ◽

Content Type ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Rhizosphere Microbiome ◽

Gamma Irradiated

ABSTRACTThe remediation of metal-contaminated soils by phytoextraction depends on plant growth and plant metal accessibility. Soil microorganisms can affect the accumulation of metals by plants either by directly or indirectly stimulating plant growth and activity or by (im)mobilizing and/or complexing metals. Understanding the intricate interplay of metal-accumulating plants with their rhizosphere microbiome is an important step toward the application and optimization of phytoremediation. We compared the effects of a “native” and a strongly disturbed (gamma-irradiated) soil microbial communities on cadmium and zinc accumulation by the plantArabidopsis halleriin soil microcosm experiments.A. halleriaccumulated 100% more cadmium and 15% more zinc when grown on the untreated than on the gamma-irradiated soil. Gamma irradiation affected neither plant growth nor the 1 M HCl-extractable metal content of the soil. However, it strongly altered the soil microbial community composition and overall cell numbers. Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons of DNA extracted from rhizosphere samples ofA. halleriidentified microbial taxa (Lysobacter,Streptomyces,Agromyces,Nitrospira, “CandidatusChloracidobacterium”) of higher relative sequence abundance in the rhizospheres ofA. halleriplants grown on untreated than on gamma-irradiated soil, leading to hypotheses on their potential effect on plant metal uptake. However, further experimental evidence is required, and wherefore we discuss different mechanisms of interaction ofA. halleriwith its rhizosphere microbiome that might have directly or indirectly affected plant metal accumulation. Deciphering the complex interactions betweenA. halleriand individual microbial taxa will help to further develop soil metal phytoextraction as an efficient and sustainable remediation strategy.

Download Full-text

New Soil, Old Plants, and Ubiquitous Microbes: Evaluating the Potential of Incipient Basaltic Soil to Support Native Plant Growth and Influence Belowground Soil Microbial Community Composition

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12104209 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 4209

Author(s):

Aditi Sengupta ◽

Priyanka Kushwaha ◽

Antonia Jim ◽

Peter A. Troch ◽

Raina Maier

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Community Composition ◽

Plant Species ◽

Soil Microbial Community ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Parent Material ◽

Native Plant ◽

Soil Microbial

The plant–microbe–soil nexus is critical in maintaining biogeochemical balance of the biosphere. However, soil loss and land degradation are occurring at alarmingly high rates, with soil loss exceeding soil formation rates. This necessitates evaluating marginal soils for their capacity to support and sustain plant growth. In a greenhouse study, we evaluated the capacity of marginal incipient basaltic parent material to support native plant growth and the associated variation in soil microbial community dynamics. Three plant species, native to the Southwestern Arizona-Sonora region, were tested with three soil treatments, including basaltic parent material, parent material amended with 20% compost, and potting soil. The parent material with and without compost supported 15%, 40%, and 70% germination of Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ‘Tarahumara Norteño’), Mesquite (Prosopis pubescens Benth), and Panic Grass (Panicum Sonorum Beal), respectively, though germination was lower than in the potting soil. Plant growth was also sustained over the 30 day period, with plants in parent material (with and without amendment) reaching 50% height compared to those in the potting soil. A 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing approach showed Proteobacteria to be the most abundant phyla in both parent material and potting soil, followed by Actinobacteria. The potting soil showed Gammaproteobacteria (19.6%) to be the second most abundant class, but its abundance was reduced in the soil + plants treatment (5.6%–9.6%). Within the basalt soil type, Alphaproteobacteria (42.7%) and Actinobacteria (16.3%) had a higher abundance in the evaluated bean plant species. Microbial community composition had strong correlations with soil characteristics, but not plant attributes within a given soil material. Predictive functional potential capacity of the communities revealed chemoheterotrophy as the most abundant metabolism within the parent material, while photoheterotrophy and anoxygenic photoautotrophy were prevalent in the potting soil. These results show that marginal incipient basaltic soil, both with and without compost amendments, can support native plant species growth, and non-linear associations may exist between plant–marginal soil–microbial interactions.

Download Full-text

Soil microbial respiration, biomass carbon and community composition data induced by substrate quality from an agricultural grassland

10.31219/osf.io/2wquj ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vito Abbruzzese

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Community Composition ◽

Microbial Respiration ◽

Phospholipid Fatty Acid ◽

Total Phospholipid ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Microbial Biomass C ◽

Co2 Efflux ◽

Silty Clay ◽

Substrate Quality

The data presented here are related to the research article entitled ‘Effects ofsubstrate quality on carbon partitioning and microbial community composition in soil from an agricultural grassland’ [1]. Data illustrate cumulative CO2 efflux, microbial biomass C (Cmic), priming effect expressed as priming index (PI) and total phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles. The data were measured during four soil laboratory incubations using a silty clay loam soil under permanent grassland from May until August 2015. The soil was treated with carbohydrates of different complexity (glucose, glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) or cellulose) alone or in conjunction with livestock slurry amended or non-amended with a biological additive. Our data may be of great significance for further studies on microbial respiration and biosynthesis, and microbial community structure following slurry application to soil, alongside the potential beneficial effects of the addition of slurry amended with biological additives.

Download Full-text

Long-Term Fertilization with Potassium Modifies Soil Biological Quality in K-Rich Soils

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10060771 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 771

Author(s):

Qiuyu Chen ◽

Ying Xin ◽

Zhanjun Liu

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Grain Yield ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Community Composition ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Wheat Grain ◽

Mineral N ◽

Total Bacteria ◽

Npk Fertilization

Imbalanced fertilization without potassium (K) is a worldwide phenomenon in K-rich soils, but its long-term effects on soil quality are poorly understood. Here, in a wheat–fallow system with K-rich soil, soil nutrients and enzyme activities involved in C, N, P, and S cycling and microbial community composition were studied in a 27-year field study with three treatments: no fertilizer (CK); mineral N and P fertilizer (NP); and mineral N, P, and K fertilizer (NPK). Results revealed that long-term NP and NPK fertilization significantly increased soil quality index (SQI) scores and wheat grain yield by mediating soil fertility, which was characterized by a significant decline in soil pH and increase in soil organic carbon (SOC), total N, available N (AN), available P (AP), enzymatic activities, and the abundance of total bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes, when compared to CK. NP exhibited significantly higher SOC, AN, AP, microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN), N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, total bacteria, and fungi values compared to NPK; the opposite was true for soil pH and available K. Notably, the differences in wheat grain yield were not statistically significant, while SQI scores in NP (0.86 ± 0.02) were appreciably higher than NPK (0.79 ± 0.03), which was attributed to the differences in MBC, MBN, and microbial communities. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that SOC was the key variable affecting enzymatic activities and microbial community composition. The partial least squares path model (PLS-PM) revealed that fertilization-induced changes in SQI were primarily associated with soil microbiological properties (e.g., microbial community composition), while fertilization-driven increases in wheat grain yield were regulated by the soil nutrients. These results suggest that long-term NPK fertilization decreases soil biological quality in K-rich soils, and further studies are required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms by which K affects soil quality in agricultural systems.

Download Full-text

Bio-Organic Mineral Fertilizer for Sustainable Agriculture: Current Trends and Future Perspectives

Minerals ◽

10.3390/min11121336 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 1336

Author(s):

Shameer Syed ◽

Xingxing Wang ◽

Tollamadugu N.V.K.V. Prasad ◽

Bin Lian

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Mineral Fertilizer ◽

Mineral Weathering ◽

Mineral Fertilizers ◽

Microbial Culture ◽

Organic Mineral ◽

Synthetic Fertilizers

Chemical (synthetic) fertilizers used indiscriminately for improved production pose a major threat to long-term soil fertility, the soil environment, and its components. The soil microbial community, however, plays a major and important role in fostering soil health and plant growth. While the use of synthetic fertilizers has a profound impact on plant growth, it also significantly alters the makeup of the microbial community towards a detrimental low, especially N and P fertilizers. Sustainable farming practices can reduce the depletion of natural resources and maintain both productivity and soil fertility. The use of minerals that contain fertilizer nutrients in their native state is a very promising approach to reducing emissions associated with the processing chemical industries. Organic material from natural sources (food waste, manure from livestock, agricultural biomass, etc.) acts as a source of microbial culture and encourages the release of nutrients into the soil during mineral weathering. The combination of nutrient-bearing minerals and their biological weathering agents together with organic matter has the potential to remediate, restore, and sustain depleted agricultural soils. Therefore, in this review, we emphasize the significance of sustaining agricultural productivity and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere, the two vital aspects of modern agricultural systems, through bio-organic mineral fertilizers.

Download Full-text