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Soil microorganisms are considered the most effective decomposers of applied crop residues, but it is poorly understood which communities are primarily responsible for decomposition under different conditions. A pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to follow the cycling of C and N derived from maize (Zea mays L.) residues labeled with both 13C and 15N to a subsequent winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop and to soil pools under planting with winter wheat (+P) or an unplanted control (–P), both in soil maintained at field moisture capacities of 40% and 80%. Soil microbes involved in residue decomposition were investigated by 13C phospholipid fatty acid (13C-PLFA) analysis technique. At wheat maturity, a total of 68% of residue N was recovered in the +P treatments, in which 26% was recovered from wheat plants and another 42% from soil total N (TN), independent of the water regimes, while only 50% was recovered from TN in the –P treatments. More residue C was recovered as soil organic carbon in +P than –P treatments (33% vs. 27%), and the trend became more significant with soil moisture. In addition, the +P soil had 35–48% larger microbial biomass carbon (MBC) than the –P soil, and more residue C was recovered as MBC in +P than –P treatments (7% vs. 4%), suggesting the induced microbial utilization of the applied residues. The distribution of the residue-derived PLFA-C showed that only 16:1ω7c and 18:1ω7c had larger relative abundances in the +P than the –P soils, suggesting that they were mainly stimulated by the presence of wheat and that they may be the most important fatty acids to define the different recoveries of residue N and C between the planted and unplanted conditions. Our results demonstrate that the enhanced recovery of residue-C and -N by the presence of wheat plants was mainly from the induced microbial utilization of applied residues by altering the activities of specific microorganisms.

Despite our current understanding of soil C and N interactions, less is known about the response and feedback of C mineralization to soil P availability driven by microorganisms. To better understand these interactions, soils with long-term P-sufficient NPK fertilization (available P: 13.4 mg kg −1 ) and P-deficient NK fertilization (available P: 0.96 mg kg −1 ) were incubated with and without glucose. CO 2 emissions were monitored to characterize C mineralization during the incubation. The soil bacterial community structure, quantity and metabolic activity were evaluated using high-throughput sequencing, qPCR and microcalorimetric dynamics. Compared with P-sufficient soils, P-deficient soils had significantly lower basal respiration, but a significantly higher net mineralization of added glucose, probably due to higher energy cost of soil microorganisms. Glucose addition promoted microbial biomass and activity, particularly in P-deficient soils, and this improvement was maintained for at least 70 days. Shifts in bacterial community composition were induced by a predominance of several specific taxonomic groups, all of which were capable of solubilizing P in soils. P-deficiency decreases the retention of exogenous labile C into soil. Adding labile C to P-deficient soils may shift P from relatively unavailable soil-bound pools into microbial biomass pools through pool cycling. Our results indicated negative effects of P-deficiency on soil C retention, as well as positive effects of labile C on soil P availability in arable soils.

The microbiomes inhabiting plant roots and their adjacent soil environment play significant roles in plant growth, health, and ecological services. Recent studies have provided detailed insights into many phytomicrobiomes, but our understanding of the root-associated microbiomes of perennial ryegrass is still very limited. Here we carried out a stratified rhizobox experiment involving a fluvo-aquic soil and red soil under elevated (750 ppm) and ambient (350–400 ppm) CO2, and used deep amplicon sequencing to investigate the ryegrass root-associated bacterial microbiomes across compartments (the bulk soil, 2-mm outer rhizosphere, rhizosphere, rhizoplane, and endosphere). We observed increased relative abundances of Proteobacteria (mainly Rhizobiaceae and Enterobacteriaceae) in the rhizosphere, rhizoplane, and endosphere compared with the bulk soil and outer rhizosphere. The dominant bacterial genera (mainly Methylobacterium, Rhizobium, Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, and Enterobacter) which facilitate plant growth and soil nutrient cycling were enriched in the rhizosphere, rhizoplane, and endosphere compared with outer rhizosphere. PICRUSt predicted moderate functional differentiation of bacterial microbiomes across compartments. The bacterial α-diversity showed a decreased trend along a spatial gradient from the bulk soil to the endosphere. The β-diversity and network analyses indicated significant differences in the root-associated bacterial microbiomes between the fluvo-aquic soil and red soil. In conclusion, our study suggests that the filtration and acquisition of the ryegrass root-associated bacterial microbiomes are largely controlled by indigenous soil microbial communities, rather than the changes in root rhizodeposition caused by elevated CO2.

Organic manure (OM) fertilization has a profound impact on agroecosystems. However, little is known about temporal responses and roles of the specific soil microbial guilds involved in the increases of soil fertility and crop yield triggered by OM fertilization. To unravel these interactions, a series of fresh and archived soil samples from a fertilization experiment started in 1989 in North China Plain (NCP) was systematically investigated. Molecular assays of contemporary fresh samples unravel that Bacillus asahii responded most distinctly to OM fertilization, while no shifts in microbial community structure were observed between chemical fertilizations and the control without fertilization; a series of archived soil samples from 1989 to 2009 reveal that the indigenous B. asahii took 2e4 years to become specifically dominant and its ratio fluctuated between 40% and 72% during 20 years. Culture-dependent assessments of isolated B. asahii strain further indicate that its rise subsequently played a key role in the increases of both crop yield and soil fertility, especially via accelerating carbon and phosphorus cycling. This insight deepens our understanding of how OM impacts agroecosystems through soil microbial processes, and highlights the possibility of using archived microbial information as a reference to develop an efficient and sustainable agricultural strategy.

Initial soil pH has been reported to have a great impact on the decomposition of added organic materials and hence to determine the direction and magnitude of subsequent soil pH changes. However, most previous investigations have been conducted on different soil types differing in initial pH and other soil properties. Here, we investigated the effects of initial soil pH on the subsequent soil pH and N mineralization changes caused by addition of crop residues to two soils (a Paleudalf and a Plinthudult) with different pHs induced by treatment with direct electric current. This produced pH gradients of 6.50–3.20 and 6.74–3.81, respectively. Three typical field crop residues differing in C/N ratio, i.e. rice straw C/N = 42, canola residue C/N = 36 and Chinese milk vetch C/N = 14 (vetch), were incubated with the soils for 102 days. With both soils, total CO2 fluxes differed between the type of added crop residues, with vetch > canola residue > rice straw, and decreased with decreasing initial soil pH. The incorporation of crop residues into the two soils at all pHs increased soil pH except for the Paleudalf at pH 3.81 and 4.25 amended with rice straw and canola residue, where pH slightly decreased. As expected, vetch incorporation caused a greater pH increase than the two non-legume residues (rice straw and canola residue), but this effect was transient in soils of higher initial pH. The pH declined rapidly with time in soils of initial pH ≥ 4.40 treated with vetch, while addition of rice straw and canola residue maintained stable pHs. Irrespective of crop residue addition, soil pH continuously increased or remained steady over the 102-day incubation period in the highly acidic soils (pH ≤ 4.25). While NH 4 + accumulated in highly acidic soils, NO 3 − accumulated in higher pH soils. Contrasting effects on nitrification and subsequent pH changes occurred between soil pH ≤ 4.25 and pH ≥ 4.40. However, no clear relationship between net N mineralization and soil pH was found. This study demonstrated that low soil pH greatly inhibited nitrification, while net N mineralization was generally less affected. This, in turn, affected the direction and extent of soil pH changes after addition of crop residues.

The P efficiency, crop yield, and response of maize to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Glomus caledonium were tested in an experimental field with long-term (18-year) fertilizer management. The experiment included five fertilizer treatments: organic amendment (OA), half organic amendment plus half mineral fertilizer (1/2 OM), mineral fertilizer NPK, mineral fertilizer NK, and the control (without fertilization). AMF inoculation responsiveness (MIRs) of plant growth and P-uptake of maize were estimated by comparing plants grown in unsterilized soil inoculated with G. caledonium and in untreated soil containing indigenous AMF. Soil total P, available P, microbial biomass P, alkaline phosphatase activity, plant biomass, crop yield and total P-uptake of maize were all significantly increased (P

Virus adsorption and inactivation in soil matrix are crucial processes controlling the potential of viruses to contaminate water resources. These two processes behave interactively and are controlled by various factors. In this study, batch and incubation experiments were conducted at 4 °C to compare the adsorption of bacteriophage MS2 in different soils, and to examine its inactivation behavior at different soil water content. Soils with presence/absence of autochthonous microorganisms were used. The interactive effects of sterilization and soil water content on virus inactivation were also evaluated. The Ustisandic Primosols showed no virus adsorption and minimal differences in activation regardless of the presence or absence of soil autochthonous microorganisms. For the Ferriudic Cambosols, however, sterilization increased adsorption and enhanced inactivation, and inactivation was accentuated by decreasing soil water content. The results indicate that soil water content and sterilization had additive effects on virus inactivation, and reveal that the enhanced “adsorption” by sterilization was mainly due to greater die-off in the Ferriudic Cambosols. The greater inactivation observed in the Ferriudic Cambosols, which has relative high contents of Fe- and Al-oxides and low pH, resulting from the additive effect of sterilization and decreasing soil water content was mainly due to increased reactions at the solid–water interface. We conclude that the effect of sterilization and soil water content on virus inactivation depends on soil type, and the extent of inactivation is likely controlled by the content of metal oxides.

This study describes the effects of balanced versus nutrient-deficiency fertilization on soil microbial biomass, activity, and bacterial community structure in a long-term (16 years) field experiment. Long-term fertilization greatly increased soil microbial biomass C and dehydrogenase activity, except that the P-deficiency fertilization had no significant effect. Organic manure had a significantly greater (P