Applied Soil Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Divergent effects of biomass-derived carbon dots application and sweetpotato planting on accumulations of soil microbial necromass carbon in Vertisol","authors":"Jing Wang,&nbsp;Meng Zhu,&nbsp;Xiaoya Zhu,&nbsp;Qiangqiang Zhang,&nbsp;Yongchao Yu,&nbsp;Peng Zhao,&nbsp;Ming Liu,&nbsp;Rong Jin,&nbsp;Zhonghou Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biomass-derived nano carbon dots (CDs) application and sweetpotato (SP) planting can alter soil microbial community structure. However, the impact of these treatments on soil microbial necromass carbon (MNC) and associated mechanisms remains unclear. In this study, we combined pot experiments and laboratory analyses to assess soil physicochemical properties, microbial community characteristics, metabolic enzyme activity and multivariate correlations, aiming to explore the determinants of soil MNC accumulation in Vertisol following CDs application and SP planting. The results showed inconsistent effects of CDs application on soil bacterial and fungal necromass C content. Although CDs application increased bacterial richness and the relative abundances of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Cyanobacteria in the absence of SP planting, it failed to enhance bacterial necromass C accumulation. In contrast, CDs application improved soil fungal necromass C content regardless of SP planting. Besides directly increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations, both CDs application and SP planting enhanced the contributions of fungal necromass C to SOC. However, SP planting neither increased soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) nor altered the compound contents in DOC solution. Extracellular enzymes related to C-cycling (e.g., β-α-cellobiohydrolase and β-1,4-xylosidase) also significantly diminished under SP planting without CDs application. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) identified distinct bacterial and fungal genera between the CDs application and SP planting treatments. Structural equation models (SEMs) revealed that the reduced accumulation of bacterial necromass C was primarily driven by increased β-1,4-glucosidase activity and shifted in bacterial community composition, which limited microbial substrate utilization and growth. The increased fungal necromass C accumulation was attributed to altering fungal community structure and decreasing α-diversity, which promoted necromass formation through sequential assimilation, synthesis, and turnover of CDs and SP carbon inputs. These results highlight the differential responses of bacterial and fungal necromass accumulation to CDs application and SP planting, providing novel insights into the regulatory roles of nano CDs and plant-microbe interactions in SOC sequestration processes in Vertisol.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106061"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143800128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Case study on agroecosystem management: Seasonal soil microbiome and maize yield response to an innovative NPK mineral fertilizer enriched with beneficial bacterial strains","authors":"Mateusz Mącik ,&nbsp;Agata Gryta ,&nbsp;Jacek Panek ,&nbsp;Lidia Sas-Paszt ,&nbsp;Magdalena Frąc","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106084","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106084","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ongoing degradation of arable soils poses a serious challenge to modern agriculture, requiring novel approaches for their restoration, including the implementation of biofertilizers and microbial inoculants. Hence, we explored the potential of innovative microbiologically enriched NPK fertilizer (called biofertilizer) to stimulate the activity and diversity of soil microbial communities in two degraded soils - Brunic Arenosol (BA) and Abruptic Luvisol (AL), under maize cultivation. The two year field experiments included the following treatments - standard, optimal dose of mineral fertilizer without microbial enrichment (PC/PK) designed to meet the nutritional requirements of maize and serving as the control treatment, optimal dose amended with beneficial bacterial strains (PA100/PW100) and a dose containing 40 % less NPK fertilizer but enriched with microorganisms (PA60/PW60). The application of biofertilizer stimulated the activity of key enzymes involved in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus biotransformations in the soil, modified the metabolic profile of soil microorganisms and changed the genetic diversity of bacteria, archaea and fungi. We observed the increased number and the presence of specific terminal restriction fragments pointing on the higher diversity within microbial communities. Next Generation Sequencing revealed that biofertilizer modified the community composition at different taxonomic levels, increased number of functional sequences assigned to metabolic processes of various compounds and higher relative abundance of fungal trophic modes and ecological guilds important for soil health. The obtained results showed that microbiologically enriched NPK fertilizer exhibits multifarious actions and has a potential to improve soil microbiome quality and diversity, as well as influencing yield of maize production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106084"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143800130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Winter wheat cultivar improvement impacts rare bacterial communities in the rhizosphere more than abundant bacterial communities","authors":"Chunhong Xu ,&nbsp;Pengfei Dang ,&nbsp;Bart Haegeman ,&nbsp;Tiantian Huang ,&nbsp;Xiaoqing Han ,&nbsp;Miaomiao Zhang ,&nbsp;Shiguang Wang ,&nbsp;Xiaoliang Qin ,&nbsp;Kadambot H.M. Siddique","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106071","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106071","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the impact of genetic improvements in wheat cultivars on microbial communities is crucial for enhancing nitrogen utilization efficiency and increasing crop yields. This study analyzed 20 wheat cultivars released between 1964 and 2018, revealing shifts in abundant and rare bacterial communities in the rhizosphere, with distinct patterns over time. The α-diversity of abundant bacterial communities significantly declined with newer cultivars, while rare communities increased. The β-diversity of abundant groups remained stable, while rare groups decreased. Stochastic processes influenced these communities, with abundant groups maintaining a constant stochastic element and rare groups experiencing increased stochasticity. Functional predictions revealed decreased anaerobic chemoheterotrophy and fermentation and increased ureolysis and aromatic compound degradation in rare communities. Random forest analysis showed that the composition of the rare bacterial communities explained more variation in cultivar improvement than that of abundant communities. In abundant bacterial communities, increases in <em>F_Rhizobiaceae</em> and <em>G_Pedobacter</em> correlated with higher grain yield and nitrogen ultilization efficiency. In rare bacterial communities, higher grain yields were associated with increases in <em>S_Pelomonas_aquatica</em>, <em>S_Dyadobacter_hamtensis</em>, <em>G_Erwinia</em>, and <em>G_Sphingobacterium</em>, while P_Candidatus_Saccharibacteria and <em>S_Dyadobacter_hamtensis</em> contributed to enhanced nitrogen efficiency. These findings offer valuable insights into how genetic improvements in wheat cultivars influence soil bacterial communities, potentially optimizing nitrogen ultilization and boosting grain yields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106071"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143776369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phosphorus fertilizer input level regulates soil organic carbon physical fraction sequestration by influencing the microbial community","authors":"Zheng Ni ,&nbsp;Minghui Cao ,&nbsp;Yuming Wang ,&nbsp;Wenling Zhong ,&nbsp;Mengxia Zhang ,&nbsp;Yan Duan ,&nbsp;Lifang Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106072","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106072","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microbe-driven soil organic carbon (SOC) turnover has received worldwide attention because of its ability to improve soil fertility, increase crop productivity, and achieve C neutrality. The fertilization regime is the main factor regulating this process. To date, most related studies have focused on the effects of urea or nitrogen (N) fertilizer levels on SOC accumulation. However, knowledge is lacking concerning the relationships among phosphorus (P) fertilizer levels, soil microbial communities, and turnover of SOC fractions. Herein, a continuous 4-year in situ field experiment was conducted after straw retention with the following treatments combined with regular N and potassium (K) fertilization: (i) regular P fertilizer (P + NK); (ii) 25 % reduction in P fertilizer (0.75P + NK); (iii) 50 % reduction in P fertilizer (0.5P + NK); and (iv) no P fertilizer (NK). Maize yield, SOC fractions and microbial communities responded distinctly to different P fertilizer levels. Regular fertilization resulted in the highest maize yield, macroaggregate proportion, and aggregate mean weight diameter. A significant decrease in particulate organic carbon (POC) was observed under NK. Moreover, significant decreases in mineral-associated organic carbon (MaOC) were observed under 0.5P + NK and NK compared with those under regular fertilization. Moreover, turnover of SOC fractions was strongly associated with microbial clusters and keystone taxa. Linear regressions indicated close associations between communities in clusters 2 and 3 and POC and MaOC. Random forest models further predicted that keystone taxa in the co-occurrence network may significantly explain SOC turnover. Overall, there were significant correlations between the bacterial richness of Chitinophagaceae and Saprospiraceae (within cluster 3) and those of POC and MaOC. Specifically, the fungal richness of Lasiosphaeriaceae (within cluster 2) was significantly positively correlated with only MaOC. Overall, fungi, rather than bacteria, drove the function of specific microbial clusters and thus affected SOC fraction turnover. The Lasiosphaeriaceae-driven cluster 2 community facilitated MaOC sequestration, whereas the Chitinophagaceae- and Mortierellaceae-driven cluster 3 communities facilitated both POC and MaOC accumulation. Our findings strengthen our understanding of the relationships among P fertilizer reduction, microbial communities and SOC fractions. Furthermore, we optimized the fertilization regime for sustained crop yield. Specifically, reducing P fertilization by 25 % is a win–win strategy for optimizing fertilization and promoting soil fertility.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106072"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143767943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of anthropogenic activities on soil microbial community structure and methane anaerobic oxidation rate in coastal wetlands of Yellow River Delta, China","authors":"Chenmiao Liu ,&nbsp;Zihao Wang ,&nbsp;Xia Gao ,&nbsp;Kun Li ,&nbsp;Lei Yu ,&nbsp;Jingyu Sun ,&nbsp;Hongjie Di ,&nbsp;Xiaoya Xu ,&nbsp;Qingfeng Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106044","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106044","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is widely recognized in wetland soils as an important sink for methane (CH₄), a potent greenhouse gas, and an important pathway for CH₄ reduction. However, the process of AOM in coastal wetland soil in the context of various anthropogenic impacts and the impacts on microorganisms are not clear due to the intricate interplay among numerous factors in nature and the impacts of anthropogenic activities. Therefore, in this study, laboratory culture methods integrated with molecular biology techniques were used to investigate the rate of AOM in soils of different depths under the influence of several typical anthropogenic activities in the Yellow River Delta, as well as the mechanisms of influence on environmental and microbiological factors. The findings of the study indicated that AOM rates decrease with depth; the effects of various forms of nitrogen (N) on the anaerobic oxidation of soil methane in different soil horizons were inconsistent; and inorganic nitrogen (NH₄⁺, NO₂⁻) was found to affect AOM processes by influencing some of the functional communities (ANME-2d, ANME, and <em>Geobacter</em>), as well as some microorganisms (Euryarchaeota, Methanosarcinales) that indirectly affect the AOM process. Moreover, <em>Geobacter</em>, ANME, and ANME-2d were the key functional microorganisms influencing the AOM process in the anthropogenic samples and served as crucial factors in the AOM process. Therefore, this study could provide data support and a theoretical basis for mitigating global warming.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106044"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143748205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shrub encroachment modulates soil microbial assembly, stability, and functional dynamics in temperate marshes: Emphasizes the key role of bacterial two-component systems","authors":"Ziliang Yin ,&nbsp;Xin Sun ,&nbsp;Jing Yang ,&nbsp;Shirui Jiang ,&nbsp;Weihui Feng ,&nbsp;Tijiu Cai ,&nbsp;Xiaoxin Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106073","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106073","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The physical and chemical changes that accompany shifts in plant community composition directly impact marsh soil microbial communities. This leads to uncertainty in microbial communities and plant feedback, which limits our ability to predict marsh biogeochemical cycling and microorganism responses to changes in plant community composition. Therefore, this study employed high-throughput sequencing to elucidate the mechanisms regulating marsh soil microbial community assembly, stability, and functional profiles in response to varying levels of shrub encroachment. The results showed that shrub encroachment significantly altered the composition of soil microorganisms, leading to increased phylogenetic conservation within bacterial and fungal communities. Following shrub encroachment, bacteria sensed, responded, and adapted to environmental changes through the two-component system, shifting community assembly from deterministic (variable selection) to stochastic (homogenizing dispersal) processes. However, fungal community assembly was weakly responsive to shrub encroachment remained primarily stochastic, with the dominant mode transitioning from undominated processes to homogenizing dispersal, largely due to the differential expression of metabolic pathways and interactions (exchange of material, energy, and signaling) with bacterial two-component systems. Additionally, shrub encroachment enhances the networks scale and complexity of soil microorganism, promotes competitive behaviour, and increases community stability while reshaping functional profiles. Further investigation into these issues will contribute to our understanding of microbial ecology theory, thereby providing more effective strategies and methods for the management and conservation of marsh ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106073"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143748206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stacking soil health practices is necessary to enhance soil ecosystem multifunctionality of semi-arid almond agroecosystems","authors":"Krista Marshall ,&nbsp;Amanda K. Hodson ,&nbsp;Timothy Bowles ,&nbsp;Katherine Jarvis-Shean ,&nbsp;Amélie C.M. Gaudin","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106066","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106066","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Identifying strategies to rebuild healthy, living soil ecosystems is critical to alleviate widespread soil degradation and enhance the multitude of soil functions fundamental to sustainability, resilience, and agroecological transitions. This is particularly true in California's almond agroecosystems where a combination of semi-arid climates and historical emphasis on aboveground production components has left soils degraded and the most effective strategies to build healthy soil remain unclear. We used a regionally specific survey of commercial orchards to evaluate relationships between adoption of soil health building practices, soil ecosystem functional outcomes, and soil ecosystem multifunctionality. Orchards with applications of single or few principles without orchard redesigns didn't differentiate from bare soils and had the lowest multifunctionally score across the Alley and Tree management zones. In contrast, orchards with stacked application of multiple soil health building practices, such as diverse vegetative understories with animal grazing had the highest soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, soil protein, available P, soil respiration, and robust and diverse soil nematode communities, which resulted in the highest soil multifunctionality score. Results from this study indicate that a diverse and stacked application of soil health principles is the most effective strategy to enhance multiple soil ecosystem functions in perennial semi-arid agroecosystems. It also demonstrates the potential for this approach to uncover the nuanced outcomes of soil health building principles in growers' orchards. As research continues to show the context-specific nature of management's relationships to soil outcomes, this study offers new insights into regional soil health potential and the efficacy of adopting several practices to promote synergistic soil ecosystem functionality in in irrigated semi-arid agroecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106066"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143748207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Organic versus conventional agriculture in Cyprus: An analysis of soil bacterial communities in apple orchards and barley field","authors":"Omirou Michalis ,&nbsp;Fasoula A. Dionysia ,&nbsp;Constantinou Louiza ,&nbsp;Ioannidou Sotiroula ,&nbsp;Ioannides M. Ioannis","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106030","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106030","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to elucidate the influence of agricultural systems on the soil bacterial communities in barley fields and apple orchards. Employing high-throughput sequencing, we profiled the bacterial communities in both crops under organic and conventional farming systems. Although no significant variations were observed at the phylum level, substantial differentiation was evident at lower taxonomic levels, highlighting the importance of farming practices on shaping soil microbiota. Under organic farming, we observed an enrichment of certain bacterial genera, potentially playing vital roles in enhancing soil health and fertility. On the contrary, unique bacterial genera thrived under conventional farming practices. Redundancy analysis revealed a significant role of soil physicochemical properties in determining bacterial community composition, accounting for &gt;50 % of the observed variance. Notably, NH₄⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, P-Olsen, and pH, were identified as major predictors of bacterial composition. The current study underscores the influence of farming system on the soil bacteriome and shed light on its potential implications for soil health and crop productivity. This research contributes to our understanding of how farming practices influence the soil bacterial assemblies and provides valuable insights for refining sustainable farming strategies. Future investigations are warranted to elucidate the functional roles of the identified bioindicators in soil health and productivity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106030"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143748203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Glomalin-related soil proteins in particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon pools in alpine grasslands with different degradation degrees","authors":"Haolin Zhang ,&nbsp;Yang Hu ,&nbsp;Xinya Sun ,&nbsp;Yubin Wang ,&nbsp;Bicheng Zhang ,&nbsp;Chunhui Liu ,&nbsp;Anum Rafiq ,&nbsp;Baorong Wang ,&nbsp;Shaoshan An ,&nbsp;Zhaolong Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106068","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106068","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSP) produced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can mitigate declining in soil organic carbon (SOC) in degraded alpine grasslands by regulating functional C pools, particulate organic C (POC) and mineral-associated organic C (MAOC). However, the mechanism by which GRSP regulates the formation of different functional C pools in alpine grasslands remains unclear. We investigated GRSP content in POC and MAOC in alpine grasslands with varying degradation gradients on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and analyzed how the AMF co-occurrence network modulates these variations. The GRSP content in POC and MAOC in heavy degradation grassland was reduced by 38.4 % and 37.5 % compared with non-degradation grassland. However, the relative contribution of GRSP in POC and MAOC increased by 9.9 % and 17.5 %, respectively. Grassland degradation decreased soil AMF diversity by 33.7 % but increased network stability by 53.2 % in alpine grasslands and network complexity by 5 times in alpine steppes. The random forest model highlighted that GRSP played a key role in soil functional C, especially in enhancing the contribution to MAOC. Further analyses revealed that the changes in the AMF community led to reduced POC and MAOC formation by decreasing GRSP content in POC and MAOC. GRSP is critical for POC and MAOC formation, and degradation-induced changes in AMF community structure increase the contribution of GRSP to the soil functional C pool. Therefore, protecting ecosystems with complex below-ground AMF communities contributes to stable SOC sequestration during grassland degradation, which is important for establishing and maintaining grassland SOC pools.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106068"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143748586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combined effects of biochar and silkworm excrement compost applications on soil properties and vegetable growth","authors":"Tianyu Luan ,&nbsp;Jiangmin Yan ,&nbsp;Xingran Zhao ,&nbsp;Tuerxunguli Tuoheti ,&nbsp;Ye Xu ,&nbsp;Tao Gan ,&nbsp;Xinyu Zhao ,&nbsp;Lizhi He ,&nbsp;Williamson Gustave ,&nbsp;Xiaokai Zhang ,&nbsp;Feng He","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106067","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106067","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the growing global population, the demand for vegetables is increasing rapidly. While the extensive use of chemical fertilizers has been a conventional approach to boost vegetable production, it often degrades soil health and diminishes vegetable quality. This study evaluates the potential of rice husk biochar and silkworm excrement compost as alternative, sustainable biomass fertilizers, examining their impact on yield, quality, soil fertility, and soil microbial communities in Chinese cabbage and lettuce cultivation. Results demonstrated that a combined application of biochar and silkworm excrement compost significantly enhanced the yields of both Chinese cabbage and lettuce. The optimal yield for each crop was achieved at a biochar-to-compost ratio of 2:3, and yields (fresh weight) after this treatment were134 and 103 times higher than the control for Chinese cabbage and lettuce, respectively. In addition, by adjusting the combination ratio of compost and biochar, indicators such as vitamin C, soluble sugar, and soluble protein can be effectively improved, thereby enhancing the quality of vegetables. Compared to control, soil ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium showed marked increases in all other treatment soils. In Chinese cabbage soil, compared to other fertility indicators, the highest increase in available phosphorus was observed under biochar-to-compost ratio of 2:3 treatment with an increment of 175.2 % over the control. Furthermore, the biochar-compost combination enhanced soil microbial community structure, raised the Alpha diversity index for soil bacteria, and increased the abundance of key phyla, including Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. These findings offer new insights and methodological support for advancing sustainable practices within the vegetable industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106067"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143738475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}