Responses of Soil Bacterial Diversity to Fertilization are Driven by Local Environmental Context Across China

Soil microbial diversity is extremely vulnerable to fertilization,which is one of the main anthropogenic activities associated with global changes.Yet we know little about how and why soil microbial diversity responds to fertilization across contrasting local ecological contexts.This knowledge is fundamental for predicting changes in soil microbial diversity in response to ongoing global changes.We analyzed soils from ten 20-year field fertilization(organic and/or inorganic)experiments across China and found that the national-scale responses of soil bacterial diversity to fertilization are dependent on ecological context.In acidic soils from regions with high precipitation and soil fertility,inorganic fertilization can result in further acidification,resulting in negative impacts on soil bacterial diversity.In comparison,organic fer-tilization causes a smaller disturbance to soil bacterial diversity.Despite the overall role of environmental contexts in driving soil microbial diversity,a small group of bacterial taxa were found to respond to fer-tilization in a consistent way across contrasting regions throughout China.Taxa such as Nitrosospira and Nitrososphaera,which benefit from nitrogen fertilizer addition,as well as Chitinophagaceae,Bacilli,and phototrophic bacteria,which respond positively to organic fertilization,could be used as bioindicators for soil fertility in response to fertilization at the national scale.Overall,our work provides new insights into the importance of local environmental context in determining the responses of soil microbial diver-sity to fertilization,and identifies regions with acidic soils wherein soil microbial diversity is more vul-nerable to fertilization at the national scale.

Application of controlled-release urea increases maize N uptake,environmental benefits and economic returns via optimizing temporal and spatial distributions of soil mineral N

The creation of controlled-release urea (CRU) is a potent substitute for conventional fertilizers in order to preserve the availability of nitrogen (N) in soil,prevent environmental pollution,and move toward green agriculture.The main objectives of this study were to assess the impacts of CRU’s full application on maize production and to clarify the connection between the nutrient release pattern of CRU and maize nutrient uptake.In order to learn more about the effects of CRU application on maize yields,N uptake,mineral N (N_(min)) dynamics,N balance in soil-crop systems,and economic returns,a series of field experiments were carried out in 2018–2020 in Dalian City,Liaoning Province,China.There were 4 different treatments in the experiments:no N fertilizer input (control,CK);application of common urea at 210 kg ha^(-1)(U),the ideal fertilization management level for the study site;application of polyurethane-coated urea at the same N input rate as U (PCU);and application of PCU at a 20% reduction in N input rate (0.8PCU).Our findings showed that using CRU (i.e.,PCU and 0.8 PCU) may considerably increase maize N absorption,maintain maize yields,and increase N use efficiency (NUE) compared to U.The grain yield showed considerable positive correlations with total N uptake in leaf in U and 0.8 PCU,but negative correlations with that in PCU,indicating that PCU caused excessive maize absorption while 0.8 PCU could achieve a better yield response to N supply.Besides,PCU was able to maintain N fertilizer in the soil profile 0–20 cm away from the fertilization point,and higher N_(min)content was observed in the 0–20 cm soil layer at various growth stages,particularly at the middle and late growing stages,optimizing the temporal and spatial distributions of N_(min).Additionally,compared to that in U,the apparent N loss rate in PCU was reduced by 36.2%,and applying CRU (PCU and 0.8 PCU) increased net profit by 8.5% to 15.2% with less labor and fertilization frequency.It was concluded that using CRU could be an effective N fertilizer management strategy to sustain maize production,improve NUE,and increase economic returns while minimizing environmental risks.

Biochar-induced changes in the soil diazotroph community abundance and structure in a peanut field trial

Biological nitrogen fixation(BNF)can help replenish available nitrogen(N)in cropland and reduce the use of chemical N fertilizers,with diazotrophs playing an important role.However,the response of diazotroph community and BNF activity in biochar amendment soil,especially in the deep soil horizon,are poorly understood.In this study,soil samples were collected from topsoil(0-20 cm)and subsoil(20-40 cm)in the field experiment(established in 2013)comprising treatments with no chemical fertilizer(CK),chemical fertilizer(NPK),biochar(BC),and biochar plus chemical fertilizers(BNPK).Here,we investigated the diazotroph community using real-time PCR and high-throughput sequencing of the nifH gene,and assessed the soil N_(2)fixation rate(R_(Nfix))using acetylene reduction assay(ARA).Results showed that in the topsoil,the treatments with biochar significantly increased nifH gene copies and R_(Nfix),which was consistent with the increased soil organic matter(SOM),total carbon-to-nitrogen ratio(C/N),dissolved organic carbon(DOC)and pH.In the subsoil,applying chemical fertilizers(NPK)strongly decreased R_(Nfix),but had no effect on diazotroph abundance;in contrast,biochar application(BC)had no effect on R_(Nfix),but suppressed the growth of bacteria and diazotrophs while increasing the abundance of Rhizobiales order.Diazotroph and bacterial gene copies were significantly and positively correlated in both top-and sub-soil,and they were mainly influenced by SOM and total nitrogen(TN).In addition,soil nitrate nitrogen(NO_(3)^(−)-N)was the major factor in shaping the vertical stratification of diazotroph community structure.Although nifH gene abundance was significantly cor-related with R_(Nfix)in the topsoil,the structure equation modeling(SEM)showed the highest correlation between diazotroph community structure and R_(Nfix).Hence,we suggested that soil carbon and nitrogen sources were the key factors correlated with changes in the vertical pattern of diazotroph abundance.Biochar induced the dominant diazotroph community succes-sion and increased soil carbon content and pH,which contributed to the BNF activity.Changes in the BNF activity were driven by the variation in diazotroph community structure.

Past,present,and future of biochar

After entering the twenty-first century,biochar has become a focal point of multidisciplinary research because of its special characteristics,broad application,and promising development prospects.Basic and applied research on the application of biochar in the areas of agriculture,environment,and energy have increased dramatically in the face of food security,environmental pollution,and energy shortage.Although there are some disputes about biochar research,many studies have demonstrated the importance of biochar research from the perspective of scientific advancement and practical application.This paper briefly recalls the history of biochar application;introduces research progress on the basic characteristics of biochar and its associated production technologies;summarizes the research status and existing problems of biochar application in the areas of agriculture,environment,and energy;and analyzes the potential problems and development trends of biochar research in the future.

Combined application of biochar with fertilizer promotes nitrogen uptake in maize by increasing nitrogen retention in soil

Combined application of biochar with fertilizers has been used to increase soil fertility and crop yield.However,the coupling mechanisms through which biochar improves crop yield at field scale and the time span over which biochar affects carbon and nitrogen transformation and crop yield are still little known.In this study,a long-term field trial(2013-2019)was performed in brown soil planting maize.Six treatments were designed:CK-control;NPK-application of chemical fertilizers;C1PK-low biochar without nitrogen fertilizer;C1NPK,C_(2)NPK and C_(3)NPK-biochar at 1.5,3 and 6 t ha^(−1),respectively,combined with chemical fertilizers.Results showed that theδ^(15)N value in the topsoil of 0-20 cm layer in the C_(3)NPK treat-ment reached a peak of 291‰at the third year(2018),and demonstrated a peak of 402‰in the NPK treatment in the initial isotope trial in 2016.Synchronously,SOC was not affected until the third to fourth year after biochar addition,and resulted in a significant increase in total N of 2.4 kg N ha^(−1) in 2019 in C_(3)NPK treatment.During the entire experiment,the ^(15)N recovery rates of 74-80%were observed highest in the C_(2)NPK and C_(3)NPK treatments,resulting in an annual increase in yields significantly.The lowest subsoilδ^(15)N values ranged from 66‰to 107‰,and the ^(15)N residual rate would take 70 years for a complete decay to 0.001%in the C_(3)NPK.Our findings suggest that biochar compound fertilizers can increase C stability and N retention in soil and improve N uptake by maize,while the loss of N was minimized.Biochars,therefore,may have an important potential for improving the agroecosystem and ecological balance.

Development of the straw biochar returning concept in China

Biochar produced from straw has been shown to improve soil physicochemical properties.This review introduces the fundamental concepts,the broad applications,and underlying theory of straw biochar returning.Current developments in biochar industry and the production practices prevalent among enterprises in China are critiques.This review analyzes current knowledge gaps,challenges,and opportunities in the industrial application of straw biochar returning.Biochar standards,the quantitative and qualitative analysis methods for biochar,and high-value-added products that are based on biochar are critically examined with goal of providing recommendations for future studies.We propose production and modification of biochar that is application oriented to enhance its fitness for purpose as well as long-term and large-space-scale field study to better understand its impact on soil properties and ecotoxicology.Finally,we make prospects for the future development of SBR,including constructing a standard system about straw biochar returning and promoting self-discipline of biochar industry and the establishment of a biochar-based agricultural production model.