Increasing nutrient inputs into terrestrial ecosystems affect not only plant communities but also associated soil microbial communities. Studies carried out in predominantly unmanaged ecosystems have found that increasing nitrogen (N) inputs generally decrease soil microbial biomass; less is known about long-term impacts in managed systems such as agroecosystems. The objective of this paper was to analyze the responses of soil microorganisms to mineral fertilizer using data from long-term fertilization trials in cropping systems. A meta-analysis based on 107 datasets from 64 long-term trials from around the world revealed that mineral fertilizer application led to a 15.1% increase in the microbial biomass (Cmic) above levels in unfertilized control treatments. Mineral fertilization also increased soil organic carbon (Corg) content and our results suggest that Corg is a major factor contributing to the overall increase in Cmic with mineral fertilization. The magnitude of the effect of fertilization on Cmic was pH dependent. While fertilization tended to reduce Cmic in soils with a pH below 5 in the fertilized treatment, it had a significantly positive effect at higher soil pH values. Duration of the trial also affected the response of Cmic to fertilization, with increases in Cmic most pronounced in studies with a duration of at least 20 years. The input of N per se does not seem to negatively affect Cmic in cropping systems. The application of urea and ammonia fertilizers, however, can temporarily increase pH, osmotic potential and ammonia concentrations to levels inhibitory to microbial communities. Even though impacts of fertilizers are spatially limited, they may strongly affect soil microbial biomass and community composition in the short term. Long-term repeated mineral N applications may alter microbial community composition even when pH changes are small. How specific microbial groups respond to repeated applications of mineral fertilizers, however, varies considerably and seems to depend on environmental and crop management related factors.

Long-term effects of mineral fertilizers on soil microorganisms – A review

Soil management is fundamental to all agricultural systems and fertilization practices have contributed substantially to the impressive increases in food production. Despite the pivotal role of soil microorganisms in agro-ecosystems, we still have a limited understanding of the complex response of the soil microbiota to organic and mineral fertilization in the very long-term. Here we report the effects of different fertilization regimes (mineral, organic and combined mineral and organic fertilization), carried out for more than a century, on the structure and activity of the soil microbiome. Organic matter content, nutrient concentrations and microbial biomass carbon were significantly increased by mineral, and even more strongly by organic fertilization. Pyrosequencing revealed significant differences between the structures of bacterial and fungal soil communities associated to each fertilization regime. Organic fertilization increased bacterial diversity, and stimulated microbial groups (Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Zygomycota) that are known to prefer nutrient-rich environments, and that are involved in the degradation of complex organic compounds. In contrast, soils not receiving manure harbored distinct microbial communities enriched in oligotrophic organisms adapted to nutrient-limited environments, as Acidobacteria. The fertilization regime also affected the relative abundances of plant beneficial and detrimental microbial taxa, which may influence productivity and stability of the agroecosystem. As expected, the activity of microbial exoenzymes involved in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous mineralization were enhanced by both types of fertilization. However, in contrast to comparable studies, the highest chitinase and phosphatase activities were observed in the solely mineral fertilized soil. Interestingly, these two enzymes showed also a particular high biomass-specific activities and a strong negative relation with soil pH. As many soil parameters are known to change slowly, the particularity of unchanged fertilization treatments since 1902 allows a profound assessment of linkages between management and abiotic as well as biotic soil parameters. Our study revealed that pH and TOC were the majors, while nitrogen and phosphorous pools were minors, drivers for structure and activity of the soil microbial community. Due to the long-term treatments studied, our findings likely represent permanent and stable, rather than transient, responses of soil microbial communities to fertilization.

/pdf/mineral-vs-organic-amendments-microbial-community-structure-4wb4rxzsqn.pdf

Mineral vs. Organic Amendments: Microbial Community Structure, Activity and Abundance of Agriculturally Relevant Microbes Are Driven by Long-Term Fertilization Strategies

Although the effects of chemical fertilization management on microbial communities in soils have been well studied, few studies have examined such impacts of long-term chemical fertilizations on the microbial community in black soils common to northeast China. We applied high-throughput pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR of the 16S rRNA gene to investigate bacterial communities in a long-term fertilizer experiment started in 1980. The following fertilizer treatments were compared with control plots (no fertilizer): N1 (low nitrogen fertilizer), N2 (high nitrogen fertilizer), N1P1 (low nitrogen plus low phosphorus fertilizers) and N2P2 (high nitrogen plus high phosphorus fertilizers). All fertilization treatments resulted in decreases in soil pH and increases in wheat yield and concentrations of total nitrogen, organic matter and KCl-extractable NO3− and NH4+. Fertilization also led to a significant decrease in total 16S rRNA gene abundance and bacterial diversity. The phyla Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria dominated in all fertilized treatments. There was an increase in relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, TM7 and Verrucomicrobia across all fertilized treatments compared to unfertilized controls, whereas phyla Acidobacteria and Nitrospirae decreased. The bacterial communities in unfertilized controls and lower-mineral fertilizers (i.e. N1 and N1P1) were predominantly composed of Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, and separated from the communities where more concentrated fertilizer regimes were used (i.e. N2 and N2P2) based on principal coordinates analysis. Soil pH and NO3− concentration appeared to be the most important factors in shaping bacterial communities. Our findings suggested that long-term inorganic fertilizer regimes reduced the biodiversity and abundance of bacteria. The influence of more concentrated fertilizer treatments was greater than that of lower concentrations.

Influence of 34-years of fertilization on bacterial communities in an intensively cultivated black soil in northeast China

The success of sustainable food production greatly relies on the widespread use of mineral fertilizers. However, the commercially available fertilizers are blended with a range of trace metals, which are introduced in to the soil along with the application of fertilizers. Given the rising environmental concern, the interest in eco-friendly organic inputs to the soils has grown manifold. The additions of recycled organic fertilizers to the soils have been proposed as a substantially beneficial input in place of inorganic fertilizers. However, the application of organic fertilizers may result in the heavy metal enrichment of soil and imbalanced nutrient availability. Additionally, according to one estimate, only about half of the applied fertilizers are being utilized by the plants while the remaining unutilized fertilizers could enter the soil surface and water bodies and may affect the environment adversely. The major environmental concern includes the eutrophication of fresh water bodies and enrichment of the soil with toxic heavy metals and radionuclides. In the present article, in addition to highlighting the consequences of large-scale fertilizer inputs on soil health, the impact on water bodies is also discussed. 

Fertilizers and Their Contaminants in Soils, Surface and Groundwater

Excessive N fertilization is a problem in the intensive cropping systems on the North China Plain. Proper N management is essential to maximize N efficiency and sustain agricultural production while minimizing negative impacts on the environment. The aim of the present study was to investigate N dynamics, maize yields and soil fertility in response to short term compost application and straw return vs. inorganic fertilization. A field experiment (2012–2014) was conducted for three years on a calcareous soil in Quzhou county, Heibei province, north China. There were four treatments: unfertilized control (T1), inorganic fertilizer (100% NPK, T2), compost (cattle wastes) + 70% NPK (T3), T3 + wheat straw (T4). No significant differences in biomass accumulation or N uptake among the fertilized treatments were observed across the maize growing season. Compost application for three years tended to increase grain yields particularly in the second and third years, and the average yield increase was approximately 7–15% over T2. Residual Nmin down the soil profile (1 m) in the compost treatments (T3 and T4) decreased by 50% deeper in the soil (60–100 cm depth) at the maize harvest in 2014. Compared to T2, the compost treatments significantly increased NUE and soil available P and K contents. Correlation analysis indicates that maize yield in 2014 was significantly correlated with soil available P and K and with soil organic carbon (SOC). Overall, straw return did not have a significant influence on any measured parameters in either soil or plant samples. Our results demonstrate that 30% replacement of N fertilizer by compost is an effective nutrient management strategy to maintain N uptake and yield of maize, reduce N loss and also increase soil fertility. A considerable increase in invertase activity in the compost treatments highlights that the critical importance of integrating the management of carbon and nitrogen for sustainable agricultural production in this region of highly intensive production.

Maize yield and soil fertility with combined use of compost and inorganic fertilizers on a calcareous soil on the North China Plain

Assembled results from 20 European long-term experiments (LTE), mainly from the first decade of the twenty-first century, are presented. The included LTEs from 17 sites are the responsibility of institutional members of the International Working Group of Long-term Experiments in the IUSS. Between the sites, average annual temperatures differ between 8.1 and 15.3°C, annual precipitation between 450 and 1400 mm, and soil clay contents between 3 and 31%. On average of 350 yield comparisons, combined mineral and organic fertilization resulted in a 6% yield benefit compared with mineral fertilization alone; in the case of winter wheat, the smallest effect was 3%, the largest effect, seen with potatoes, was 9%. All unfertilized treatments are depleted in soil organic carbon (SOC), varying between 0.36 and 2.06% SOC. The differences in SOC in unfertilized plots compared with the respective plots with combined mineral (NPK) and organic (10 t ha−1 farmyard manure) fertilization range between 0.11 and 0.72%, with a...

Effect of mineral and organic fertilization on crop yield, nitrogen uptake, carbon and nitrogen balances, as well as soil organic carbon content and dynamics: results from 20 European long-term field experiments of the twenty-first century

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Effect of mineral and organic fertilization on crop yield, nitrogen uptake, carbon and nitrogen balances, as well as soil organic carbon content and dynamics: results from 20 European long-term field experiments of the twenty-first century