Applied Soil Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Nematode communities respond more to N enrichment than to plant community changes over decades in tallgrass prairie","authors":"T.C. Todd ,&nbsp;J.M. Blair ,&nbsp;M.A. Callaham Jr.","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106096","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106096","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Temperate grasslands such as the North American tallgrass prairie are among the most endangered terrestrial ecosystems due to changes in climate and land-use practices. While belowground responses of terrestrial ecosystems to perturbations have received greater attention in recent years, there is a dearth of long-term studies documenting changes over decadal scales. The current study addresses the long-term effects of fire (annual burning or fire exclusion), mowing, and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization on the structure and composition of a tallgrass prairie nematode community after 32 years of experimental treatments. Fire exclusion resulted in conversion of grassland to woodland, and a general decrease in nematode population densities, while annual prescribed fire maintained a grassland state. Although the change in vegetative state affected overall nematode abundance, vegetative structure was not the major driver of nematode community composition. Rather, changes in nitrogen availability appeared to be the dominant driver of nematode community dynamics. Responses of herbivorous taxa were dominated by interactions among burning, mowing, and N fertilization treatments and varied across taxonomic groups, but a general pattern of increasing relative abundances with N fertilization was observed, particularly in the presence of annual burning or mowing. In contrast, the relative abundance of the fungivorous Tylenchidae, the dominant nematode family in terms of abundance, declined from 44 % to 26 % after 32 years of N enrichment, while fire exclusion favored the opportunistic bacterivorous Rhabditidae. Although higher trophic level responses were generally uninformative, our results confirmed the value of nematode community analysis in soil food web diagnostics, with fungivore to bacterivore ratios and the maturity index (MI) identified as useful community indices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106096"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143815704","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":"Compost, digestate, and vermicompost from the recycling of urban biowaste have different impacts on earthworm behavior: A mesocosm study","authors":"Vincent Ducasse ,&nbsp;Line Capowiez ,&nbsp;Joséphine Peigne ,&nbsp;Yvan Capowiez","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106095","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106095","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The valorization of Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) is mandatory in Europe since 2024. Composting, anaerobic digestion (AD), and vermicomposting are the techniques most commonly used for recycling OFMSW. When applied to soil, these products can have different effects on earthworms with either positive (food effect) or negative effects (toxic or repellent effect). We thus carried out a laboratory experiment to assess their influence on different facets of the earthworm behavior (bioturbation and cast production) for two earthworm species (<em>Lumbricus terrestris</em> and <em>Aporrectodea caliginosa</em>) currently found in arable lands. Mesocosms (30 cm depth and 16 cm diameter) were filled with soil from a field crop each product was mixed with soil at two doses: equivalent to 80 kg of N per hectare (normal practice for wheat crop) and 160 kg. N.ha⁻¹. Barium sulfate was also spread at 2.5 cm depth (i.e. between the two soil layers containing the products) as a contrast agent visible in X-ray tomography. After 2 months, the burrowing activity of earthworms within mesocosms was analyzed using X-ray tomography, surface casts were collected, and earthworms weighed. With compost, <em>L. terrestris</em> burrowed closer to the surface (in the 0–5 cm layer) compared to when in the presence of vermicompost and digestate (with 0.85, 0.55, and 0.29 cm³ of burrows, respectively). Moreover, signs of avoidance were detected for this species when digestate was present with deeper burrows (in a 15–25 cm layer). With compost, <em>A. caliginosa</em> burrowed more compared to when in the presence of vermicompost and digestate (with 3.22, 2.64, and 0.97 cm³, in the totality of mesocosm respectively). Digestate has no negative impact on the behavior of <em>A. caliginosa</em>. Barium enables the characterization of the ingestion and displacement of the soil layer containing the products. The displaced volumes were in the following order Compost &gt; Vermicompost &gt; Digestate with larger effects for the 160 than for the 80 kg.N.ha⁻¹ dose. Globally, compost had higher and positive effects for both species activities whereas digestate showed some negative impact on L. <em>terrestris</em> only<em>.</em> Vermicompost had positive effects but less marked than those of compost. These effects should however still be validated under field conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106095"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143815703","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":"Potential effect of biogas slurry application to mitigate of peak N2O emission without compromising crop yield in North China Plain cropping systems","authors":"Zhichao Zou ,&nbsp;Yue Li ,&nbsp;Xueqin Ren ,&nbsp;Zichao Zhao ,&nbsp;Zhangliu Du ,&nbsp;Di Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106083","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106083","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biogas slurry (BS) produced from anaerobic digestion of livestock manure can be benefit for crop yields and soil fertility in cropping systems as compared to sole synthetic fertilization, but its impact on nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions is inconsistent in the literatures. The North China Plain (NCP) serves as a vital agricultural region in China, contributing approximately 40 % of the nation's total wheat and maize production. However, owing to the lack of relevant field studies, the understanding of how BS affects crop yield and N₂O emissions in NCP remains unclear. Here, we assessed the effects of BS substitution (0 % substitution, CF; 50 % substitution, 50%BS; 100 % substitution, 100%BS) on the amount and sources of N₂O emissions by monitoring N₂O fluxes combined with the isotopomer ratios of soil-derived N₂O in the NCP. The results showed that, compared with the control, CF, 50 % BS, and 100 % BS significantly increased wheat grain yield by 66.1 %–67.9 % and silage maize yield by 46.3 %–53.3 %, respectively. Compared with CF, 50%BS reduced N₂O emissions by 40.1 % in the wheat season and by 35.5 % maize season, while 100%BS reduced N₂O emissions by 31.9 % in the wheat season and by 49.2 % in the maize season. Further site preference analysis revealed that nitrification and fungal denitrification together contributed to 40.3–44.9 % of the peak N₂O emissions in CF, 50%BS, and 100%BS, with no significant differences in SP values among them. Compared with CF, 100%BS significantly reduced the copy numbers of AOB-<em>amoA</em>, <em>nirK</em>, and <em>nirS</em> by 65 %, 41 %, and 35 %, respectively, which may be key factors in reducing N₂O emissions. Our results showed that the partial substitution of chemical fertilizers with BS is an efficacious practice for maintaining crop yields while simultaneously reducing N₂O emissions in the NCP.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106083"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143800129","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":"Community structure and selected genes abundance shift of rhizosphere and endophyte bacteria from roots associated with the sludge application under reclaimed water irrigation","authors":"Bingjian Cui ,&nbsp;Haishu Sun ,&nbsp;Erping Cui ,&nbsp;Chao Hu ,&nbsp;Xiangyang Fan ,&nbsp;Zhongyang Li ,&nbsp;Chuncheng Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106070","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106070","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reclaimed water and sewage sludge as renewable resources are urged to be used in agriculture, but their reuse poses potential chemical and microbiological risks. As a waste biomass resource, sludge combined with reclaimed water irrigation is a major way to develop and utilize renewable resources and control environmental pollution. However, whether reclaimed water irrigation and sludge application have adverse effects on the agricultural environment and human health remains a controversial point of discussion. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of reclaimed water and sewage sludge on rhizosphere soil and root endophytic bacterial communities, the abundance of selected genes, and to evaluate the soil quality of sludge application. The results of this study demonstrated that the application of sewage sludge could result in the accumulation of nutrients in soil. The rhizosphere soil and root endophytic bacteria possessed common dominant groups at phylum level, including Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Actinobacteriota and Chloroflexi. Reclaimed water irrigation had less effect on rhizosphere soil and root endophytic bacterial communities than sludge application. <em>Pseudomonas</em> showed a decrease in relative abundance in both rhizosphere soil and root endophytes following sludge application, whereas beneficial bacteria like <em>Bacillus</em>, <em>Stenotrophobacter</em>, <em>Cellvibrio</em> and <em>Altererythrobacter</em> experienced an increase. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the diversity and composition of bacterial communities in rhizosphere soil among treatment groups were closely related to soil organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphate contents. The functional prediction highlighted the participation of functional groups in nitrogen and carbon cycling as well as degradation processes at varying sludge application rates. The abundance of selected genes was more affected by sludge application. A considerable amount of sludge application to the soil resulted in a significant increase in the abundance of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes, as well as functional genes, compared to unamended soil with sludge treatment. Direct or excessive application of sludge might aggravate the dissemination and accumulation of deleterious genes in soil-crop systems irrigated with reclaimed water. Overall, our study results may provide valuable information on how sludge influences the microbial community characteristics and abundance of specific genes, guiding the assessment of biological quality and the appropriate use of sludge in agriculture irrigated with reclaimed water.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106070"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143800535","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":"Changes of microbial turnover and plant uptake of soil amino acids during conversion of a natural forest to a spruce plantation on the eastern Tibetan plateau, China","authors":"Ziliang Zhang ,&nbsp;Bartosz Adamczyk ,&nbsp;Huajun Yin","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106085","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106085","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It is well recognized that amino acids play an important role in soil nitrogen (N) cycling and contribute to plant N supply in forests. Land-use change is likely to alter soil amino- acid cycling and the role of amino acids in plant nutrition by influencing multiple abiotic and biotic factors, which, however, remains poorly understood. Here, by using ¹⁵N labeling methods, we quantified effects of land-use change from a natural forest to a spruce plantation on the uptake and turnover of amino acids by soil microbes, as well as trees' ability to take up amino acids on eastern Tibetan, China. Forest conversion from the natural forest to the spruce plantation significantly decreased soil inorganic N availability and N transformation rates, while increased the ratio of amino acids to inorganic N concentration. A soil incubation experiment with ¹⁵N-labeled-glycine addition in the laboratory showed that forest conversion inhibited gross consumption of amino acids and facilitated recycling of amino acids within microbial biomass. Furthermore, an in situ ¹⁵N-labeling experiment revealed that forest conversion significantly increased the contribution of soil amino acids to the total N uptake by plants, which was attributed to the increased proportion of amino acids in soil available N pools. Collectively, our results demonstrated that forest conversion from natural forests to plantations impacted turnover of amino acids by soil microbes, which consequently influenced plant uptake of amino acids. Our study further highlights the important role of amino acids as a N source for subalpine coniferous plantations and has implications for formulating management practices to maintain long-term productivity and stability of plantations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106085"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143800536","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":"Earthworms regulate the response of greenhouse gas emissions in wetland soils to simulated warming and flooding","authors":"Mingzhu Lu ,&nbsp;Wenzhi Liu ,&nbsp;Lei Fan ,&nbsp;Haitao Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106074","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106074","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wetlands are a significant source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and provide crucial habitats for soil invertebrates. Climate change, including warming and increased flooding, has considerably altered the exchange of GHGs between wetland soils and the atmosphere. However, whether and how soil fauna regulates the impacts of climate change on GHGs remains obscure. Herein, we conducted a 58-day microcosm incubation of wetland soils at two temperatures (20 and 25 °C) and two soil moisture levels (90 % and 135 % water-filled pore space) to investigate how earthworms (<em>Eisenia fetida</em>) regulate the direction and magnitude of GHG (CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O) responses to simulated warming and flooding scenarios. Results showed that warming increased emissions of all three GHGs, whereas flooding increased CH₄ emissions but suppressed CO₂ and N₂O emissions. Earthworms changed these response patterns by interacting with temperature and soil moisture conditions. Earthworms mitigated the positive effects of warming on CO₂ and N₂O but strengthened the positive influences of warming on CH₄, and they converted the negative response of CO₂ to flooding to positive but did not change the response of CH₄ and N₂O to flooding. In addition, Hierarchical partitioning analysis revealed that soil nitrogen availability (including NH₄⁺-N, NO₃⁻-N, and water-soluble nitrogen) and soil aggregates are the dominant factors driving the response of GHG emissions to earthworm activities and climate change. Overall, our findings highlight the crucial role of soil fauna in regulating GHG responses to warming and flooding in wetland soils, with significant implications for climate change mitigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106074"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143800534","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":"Enhancing banana health with key antagonistic taxa by crop residue-driven strategies","authors":"Shan Hong ,&nbsp;Xianfu Yuan ,&nbsp;Zhongjun Jia ,&nbsp;Yunze Ruan","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106046","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106046","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Panama disease (<em>Fusarium</em> wilt of banana), which is caused by <em>Fusarium oxysporum</em> f. sp. <em>cubense</em> tropical race 4 (<em>Foc</em>TR4), is the most devastating threat to banana production. The retention of crop residues enhances disease suppression in banana rotation systems. We performed quantitative PCR and MiSeq sequencing to investigate the effects of crop residues on soil microbial communities and to assess the suppressive impacts of residue extracts on <em>Foc</em>TR4. Pepper and eggplant residues significantly reduced Panama disease incidence (DI) and <em>Foc</em>TR4 abundance. The incorporation of pepper residue as a soil amendment reduced the DI to &lt;20 % in the second pot experiment, indicating sustained disease suppression. Residue extracts confirmed the residue inhibitory effects. The pepper and eggplant residues increased the bacterial copy number and decreased the fungal copy number in the amended soil. Pepper residues enhanced soil microbial richness and diversity more than eggplant and banana residues did. The microbial communities of the pepper and eggplant residues were similar but distinct from those of the banana residues and controls, with differences between the rhizosphere and bulk soil communities. Structural equation modeling identified available phosphorus as a key mediator linking residue inputs to pathogen suppression via the enrichment of key soil taxa. Pepper (OTU180_<em>Rhizomicrobium</em>) and eggplant (OTU187_<em>Gp4</em>) residues promoted key microbes, exerted antagonistic effects on <em>Foc</em>TR4, and reduced DI. Overall, these findings establish crop residue management as an effective strategy for sustainable banana cultivation, thus overcoming continuous cropping challenges through key taxa-mediated disease suppression.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106046"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143800537","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":"Functional and taxonomic biogeographical patterns of carbon-cycling microbial communities in farmland ecosystems of Shaanxi Province, China","authors":"Pengfei Li ,&nbsp;Zirong Kong ,&nbsp;Yiwei Bai ,&nbsp;Wenjiang Fu ,&nbsp;Yulong Li ,&nbsp;Qiao Guo ,&nbsp;Hangxian Lai","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106092","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106092","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the critical role of microorganisms in soil carbon cycling, studies on the biogeography and assembly of carbon cycling functional traits and taxonomic groups in farmland ecosystems remain limited. Here, we collected soil from typical crop-growing areas in Shaanxi Province, China, including rapeseed (southern Shaanxi), wheat (Guanzhong area), and potato (northern Shaanxi) fields, to explore the distribution, assembly, and influencing factors of soil carbon-cycling microbial communities in farmland ecosystems. Distance-decay relationships were observed for both functional traits and taxonomic groups. Latitudinal diversity gradients were prominent for taxonomic groups but scarce for functional traits. The effects of environmental variables on functional and taxonomic community composition were slightly more influential than those of geographic distance. Functional traits and taxonomic groups are shaped by the same set of environmental factors, primarily mean annual temperature and precipitation, and soil pH. Neutral community and null model analyses demonstrated that stochastic processes predominantly governed the assembly of functional and taxonomic communities. Mean annual precipitation, functional trait composition, and microbial community composition also prominently affected the assembly of functional and taxonomic communities. Untargeted metabolomics identified strong associations between key carbon-cycling microbial taxa (e.g., Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Gemmatimonadetes) and soil metabolite accumulation, including positive correlations with lipids, saccharides, and alcohols. The results broaden our understanding of microbially-driven soil carbon cycling. The findings underscore the need to consider both functional and taxonomic dimensions when managing soil microbiome-mediated carbon sequestration in agroecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106092"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143800127","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":"Analysis of the effect and mechanism of heavy metals in stabilized landfill humus soil using fly ash-based materials","authors":"Jianying Fu ,&nbsp;Yuyuan Pu ,&nbsp;Songwei Shi ,&nbsp;Junke Zhang ,&nbsp;Shuang Cao ,&nbsp;Xu Xu ,&nbsp;Wentao Jiao ,&nbsp;Mingxiu Zhan","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106090","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106090","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the increasing excavation of landfills, the safe disposal of humus soil contaminated with heavy metals has become an urgent environmental challenge. This study developed a novel fly ash-based material (PHB-FA), modified with potassium dihydrogen phosphate, humic acid, and biochar, to enhance the stabilization of heavy metals in landfill humus soil. Compared to unmodified fly ash, PHB-FA significantly improved stabilization efficiency due to its optimized composition and enlarged surface area. At the optimized mass ratio of KH₂PO₄:HA:BC (4.7:1.0:3.0) and a dosage of 5 %, PHB-FA reduced the leaching toxicity of Cd, Zn, and Pb in prepared humus soil by 87.60 %, 92.36 %, and 99.76 %, respectively. The transformation of heavy metals from exchangeable to more stable residual forms markedly decreased ecological risks. Mechanism analysis revealed that pozzolanic reactions produced stable hydration products (AFt and C-(A)-S-H), while metal phosphate precipitation further minimized heavy metal leaching. Finally, PHB-FA was applied to actual landfill humus soil, effectively reducing leachable heavy metal concentrations to within regulatory limits. These findings demonstrate the superior performance and long-term stability of PHB-FA in heavy metal stabilization. The material shows great potential for large-scale landfill applications, offering environmental benefits and engineering feasibility for the resource utilization and safe disposal of contaminated humus soil.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106090"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143800131","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":"Mulching of post-harvest residues and delayed planting improves fungal biodiversity in South African Eucalyptus plantations and enhances plantation productivity","authors":"Tanay Bose ,&nbsp;Jolanda Roux ,&nbsp;Louis Titshall ,&nbsp;Steven B. Dovey ,&nbsp;Almuth Hammerbacher","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106091","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106091","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Short-rotation <em>Eucalyptus</em> plantations provide essential forest products, with productivity and soil health influenced by residue management and planting strategies. This study examined the effects of burning or mulching post-harvest residue followed by immediate versus delayed planting on soil fungal biodiversity, soil properties, and tree growth across four sites in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Plots were planted either three months ('immediate') or six months ('delayed') after treatment implementation. Volume measurements assessed tree growth, and soil attributes, including moisture, temperature, and nutrient levels, were analyzed. Soil samples were collected in November 2019 and March 2022, and fungal communities were analyzed through high-throughput sequencing targeting the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region. Data emerging from this study showed mulched plots had significantly higher tree volume, with delayed planting increasing productivity by 13.6 % at 24–36 months and 25 % at 36–48 months post-planting. Soil moisture was 1.3–2 times higher in mulched plots than in burnt plots. Mulching significantly reduced the maximum soil temperatures by 4.5–6.8 °C. Four months after treatment, burnt plots had higher pH (1.1-fold), carbon (2.2-fold), phosphate (1.6-fold) and manganese (2.5-fold). Initially, mulched plots had lower fungal biodiversity (0.81-fold) than burnt plots but surpassed them after 28 months (1.28-fold increase). Fungal community overlap declined from 83.28 % to 40.64 %, with mulching supporting higher saprotroph (1.3-fold) and symbiotroph (1.25-fold) abundances, while delayed planting increased pathotroph presence by 1.5-fold in burnt plots. These findings highlight the long-term benefits of mulching and delayed planting in enhancing fungal biodiversity, promoting beneficial microbial communities, and improving tree growth, contributing to more sustainable <em>Eucalyptus</em> plantation management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 106091"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143800511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}