Five-year fertilization alters soil microbial composition and functionality in sandy grassland.
Zhang R, Li Y, Zhao X, Degen AA, Liu X
Soil Health
PubMedFertilizing degraded sandy land to grow more food can quietly undermine the soil's own nutrient-recycling microbes, meaning the gains in crop yield today may come at the cost of soil fertility and carbon storage tomorrow.
Researchers converted barren sandy grassland into farmland and applied different types of fertilizer for five years to see what happened underground. They found that while crops grew much better — especially with a mix of chemical and manure fertilizer — the tiny organisms living in the soil shifted in ways that could make it harder for the soil to hold carbon and recycle nitrogen over time. Essentially, boosting plant growth on the surface came with hidden costs buried in the soil.
Key Findings
Combined chemical fertilizer plus manure increased aboveground plant biomass by more than 7 times compared to unfertilized sandy grassland.
Fertilization enhanced carbon-cycling microbial groups but reduced nitrogen-cycling microbes by decreasing the abundance of Nitrospirota bacteria.
Fungal diversity (Shannon index) was lowest under combined chemical and manure fertilization, suggesting that intensive fertilization can reduce microbial biodiversity even as it boosts crop yields.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A five-year field experiment found that adding chemical fertilizer and manure to reclaimed sandy grassland dramatically boosted crop growth but disrupted the soil's microbial communities in ways that could reduce long-term carbon storage and nitrogen availability, raising concerns about sustainable land use.
Abstract Preview
The impacts of reclamation and fertilization of sandy grassland on soil microbial communities and functional groups related to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling are not well understood. To fill t...
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