More fertilizer helps maize roots, but fewer fungi species survive
Mao L, Luo Y, Yan J, Jin H, Liu D
Mycorrhizal Networks
If you've ever wondered why a heavily fertilized garden bed sometimes struggles in a dry spell, this study shows the soil fungi that normally help roots pull in water and nutrients get less diverse as nitrogen fertilizer goes up, even while they colonize roots more.
Tiny fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi live inside plant roots and act like extra root hairs, helping crops like maize find water and nutrients in the soil. Researchers tested different amounts of nitrogen fertilizer alongside biodegradable plastic mulch on maize grown in a dry region, and found that more fertilizer made the fungi colonize roots more heavily but reduced the number of different fungal species present. The best combination for both harvest size and healthy fungal partnerships was pairing moderate fertilizer with the biodegradable mulch, which also improved soil temperature and moisture conditions.
Key Findings
Nitrogen fertilization rates from 0 to 300 kg N/ha significantly increased root length colonization by AM fungi but reduced fungal species richness, decoupling colonization from diversity.
Beta-diversity analysis showed community differences across sites were driven mainly by species turnover rather than nestedness, and mulching x nitrogen interaction significantly affected community composition only at the jointing growth stage.
Structural equation modeling revealed fertilization boosted maize yield via improved root colonization and nitrogen uptake, while biodegradable mulch influenced nitrogen uptake indirectly through soil temperature, moisture, and fertility changes.
chevron_right Technical Summary
In a dry-farming experiment, adding more nitrogen fertilizer to maize boosted the fungi living in its roots but shrank the variety of fungal species present, and combining fertilizer with biodegradable plastic mulch produced the best yields while still supporting the underground fungal partners that help plants take up nutrients and water.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Biodegradable mulching and nitrogen fertilization differentially affect AM fungal community structure and functioning in a semi-arid maize agroecosystem.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are central to plant nutrient acquisition and soil functioning, yet how biodegradable mulching and nitrogen (N) fertilization jointly regulate AM fungal communitie...
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Maize, also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. The leafy stalk of the plant gives rise to male inflorescences or tassels which produce pollen, and female inflorescences called ears. The ears yield grain, known as kernels or seeds. In modern ...