The application of shrub willow chip organic amendments impacts soil microbial community dynamics.

Abstract

Incorporating shrub willow chips into soil may improve the chemical, physical and biological properties of soils with low organic matter but the impact on soil microbial communities and their dynamics is not known. We assessed changes in the soil microbial communities in response to willow chip applied at increasing rates (0, 20, 40 and 60 Mg ha-1) in a potato-barley cropping system. Bacterial and fungal community diversity, relative abundance, and potential functions were assessed using amplicon sequencing of 16S and ITS rRNA genes at six time points. High rates (40 and 60 Mg ha-1) of willow chips had no effect on bacterial alpha diversity but significantly decreased fungal alpha diversity (Shannon) while increasing fungal richness (Chao-1). At rates of 40 Mg ha⁻¹ and higher, the relative abundance of copiotrophic bacterial groups increased, while that of copiotrophic fungal groups decreased. The relative abundance of the most dominant microbial phyla and genera varied over time, with copiotrophic groups declining and oligotrophic groups increasing. High willow chip application rates increased bacterial molecular markers related to carbon fixation and degradation, nitrogen fixation, and phosphorus solubilization, while decreasing markers related to cellobiose transport and denitrification. This study demonstrates the ability of willow chips to influence the microbial community composition and potential function over time.