Fungi dominate denitrification when Chinese milk vetch green manure is used in paddy soil

Highlights

• We evaluated effects of fungi on N₂O emission in Chinese milk vetch-containing soils.

• Fungi to contributed to soil N₂O production in CMV-amended soils.

• Fungi accounted for 56% of N₂O emission in CMV-amended soils.

• Fungi may be important contributors to N₂O production in CMV-amended soils.

Abstract

Fungi play an important role in soil nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission in many agricultural soil systems. However, the effect of fungi on N₂O emission in Chinese milk vetch (CMV)-containing soils has not been examined sufficiently. This study investigated the contribution of bacteria and fungi to soil N₂O emission in CMV-amended soils. We compared soils from an experimental field in the Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences that had been treated with 30 000 kg of CMV per 667 m² per year with one that was not treated with CMV. We incubated soil using cycloheximide and streptomycin to differentiate fungal and bacterial N₂O emissions, respectively. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed to investigate bacterial and fungal abundances in the two agricultural soil ecosystems. The contribution of fungi to soil N₂O emission in CMV-amended soils was greater than that in non-CMV-amended paddy soils, with fungi accounting for more than 56% of the emissions in CMV-amended soils. Quantitative PCR showed that the ratio of the internal transcribed spacer to 16S rDNA was significantly higher in CMV-amended soils than in non-CMV-amended paddy soils. Furthermore, soil properties, such as pH (P<0.05) and NH₄⁺ concentration (P<0.05), significantly and negatively affected N₂O emission by fungi in soil, whereas the total organic carbon (P<0.05) and NO₃^- concentration (P<0.05) showed significant positive effects. Fungi may be important contributors to N₂O production in CMV-amended soils, which may create challenges for mitigating N₂O production.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Fungi / Bacteria / Nitrous oxide / Chinese milk vetch / Paddy soil

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Acknowledgments

The research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 31600425). We also thank Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences for providing the soil samples for our analysis.

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