Microbial community structure and functional metabolic diversity are associated with organic carbon availability in an agricultural soil

Exploration of soil environmental characteristics governing soil microbial community structure and activity may improve our understanding of biogeochemical processes and soil quality. The impact of soil environmental characteristics especially organic carbon availability after 15-yr different organic and inorganic fertilizer inputs on soil bacterial community structure and functional metabolic diversity of soil microbial communities were evaluated in a 15-yr fertilizer experiment in Changping County, Beijing, China. The experiment was a wheat-maize rotation system which was established in 1991 including four different fertilizer treatments. These treatments included： a non-amended control（CK）, a commonly used application rate of inorganic fertilizer treatment（NPK）; a commonly used application rate of inorganic fertilizer with swine manure incorporated treatment（NPKM）, and a commonly used application rate of inorganic fertilizer with maize straw incorporated treatment（NPKS）. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis（DGGE） of the 16 S r RNA gene was used to determine the bacterial community structure and single carbon source utilization profiles were determined to characterize the microbial community functional metabolic diversity of different fertilizer treatments using Biolog Eco plates. The results indicated that long-term fertilized treatments significantly increased soil bacterial community structure compared to CK. The use of inorganic fertilizer with organic amendments incorporated for long term（NPKM, NPKS） significantly promoted soil bacterial structure than the application of inorganic fertilizer only（NPK）, and NPKM treatment was the most important driver for increases in the soil microbial community richness（S） and structural diversity（H）. Overall utilization of carbon sources by soil microbial communities（average well color development, AWCD） and microbial substrate utilization diversity and evenness indices（H＇ and E） indicated that long-term inorganic fertilizer with organic amendments incorporated（NPKM, NPKS） could significantly stimulate soil microbial metabolic activity and functional diversity relative to CK, while no differences of them were found between NPKS and NPK treatments. Principal component analysis（PCA） based on carbon source utilization profiles also showed significant separation of soil microbial community under long-term fertilization regimes and NPKM treatment was significantly separated from the other three treatments primarily according to the higher microbial utilization of carbohydrates, carboxylic acids, polymers, phenolic compounds, and amino acid, while higher utilization of amines/amides differed soil microbial community in NPKS treatment from those in the other three treatments. Redundancy analysis（RDA） indicated that soil organic carbon（SOC） availability, especially soil microbial biomass carbon（Cmic） and Cmic/SOC ratio are the key factors of soil environmental characteristics contributing to the increase of both soil microbial community structure and functional metabolic diversity in the long-term fertilization trial. Our results showed that long-term inorganic fertilizer and swine manure application could significantly improve soil bacterial community structure and soil microbial metabolic activity through the increases in SOC availability, which could provide insights into the sustainable management of China＇s soil resource.

Establishment of a Mathematical Model for Mulberry Balanced Fertilization in Hilly Areas of Sichuan Province

In order to increase mulberry leaf yield and production efficiency in hilly areas of Sichuan Province through scientific fertilization,＂3414＂,a quadratic regression design for modern fertilization,was employed to simulate the regression relationship between mulberry leaf yield and major fertilizer elements including nitrogen（N）,phosphor（P） and potassium（K） among which mulberry leaf yield was the objective function and N,P and K were the regulatory factors to fertilization level.As a result,7 types of ternary,binary and monadic quadratic fertilizer effect functions of N,P and K fertilizer elements were established.The weight of fertilizer factors in the optimal mulberry leaf yield obtained by various types of functions was in decreasing order of KPKPNPKNKNNP,and the weight of fertilizer factors in the ratio of leaf yield to input was in decreasing order of K〉PK〉NPK〉P〉NK〉NP〉N.To be specific,the ternary quadratic fertilizer effect function（Y=20 313＋0.25X1＋43.48 X2＋34.47X3-0.01X1^2-0.14X2^2-0.06X3^2＋0.05X1X2＋0.02X1X3-0.07X2X3,in which X1,X2 and X3 indicate the fertilizer factors N,P and K,respectively） was a model containing all factors,thereby being a recommended fertilization program for mulberry field.Single factor effect analysis indicated that K fertilizer had the highest influence on mulberry leaf yield and ratio of leaf yield to input.Therefore,among all the simulation functions,the monadic quadratic fertilizer effect function of K fertilizer factor（Y=25 002.27＋44.728X3-0.084X32） leads to the optimal leaf yield and maximum ratio of leaf yield to input.By using the optimal fertilization program with 600 kg/hm2 N,210 kg/hm2 P2O5 and 254.33 kg/hm2 K2O,the optimal economic leaf yield obtained is 30 945.00 kg/hm2,the cost of fertilizer input is 4 403.65 yuan/hm2,and the ratio of leaf yield to input is as high as 17.57.After verification by production practices,the recommended fertilization indicators in the optimal mulberry fertilization program can provide reference for the construction of high-yield mulberry field in hilly areas of Sichuan Province.

Frequency Analysis on the Data of Field Fertilizer Efficiency Test and Fertilization Decision-making

To solve the problems of abnormal larger, abnormal lower or even negative of target yield and fertilizing amount recommended by part of non-typical fertilizer effect equations using agricultural experiments and statistical analysis software,Yangzhou analyzer（2.2）, regression analysis of Excel, which objected to local actual production, the study adopted the principle and method of basic knowledge and the frequency of using probability theory, and carried out statistical analysis on the rape field fertilizer experiment data by frequency analysis method, the rape yield after optimizing fertilizing amount was 1 732.4 kg/hm^2, the ranges of N, P and K optimal combinations were： N=210.36-149.64 kg/hm^2,P2O5=81.89-58.11 kg/hm^2, K2O=81.89-58.11 kg/hm^2,which was consistent with local actual production. This study was based on frequency analysis, using weighted average method to determine the production combinations of different yield objectives, hereinto, the combinations with high yield, high frequency of occurrence（dependable crop） and fertilizer-saving were viewed as the optimizing production measures, and they had the merits of increasing fertilization decision-making information, reducing or avoiding the risk of small probability event. The results of this study can solve the problem of abnormal values fertilizing amount and target yield recommended by non-typical fertilizer effect function, which did not accord with local actual production, caused by Yangzhou analyzer（2.2）, regression analysis of Excel, and DPS statistical analysis software. For the fertilizer effect function equation established by regression analysis which did not reach significance level using variance analysis, whether the method can be adapted to for carrying out fertilization decision-making, recommending optimization combinations of N, P and K fertilizers and yield under optimized fertilizing amount should be further researched in future working practice.