Combined organic-inorganic fertilization builds higher stability of soil and root microbial networks than exclusive mineral or organic fertilization

Abstract

● Fertilization had stronger impact on the root microbiome than on the soil microbiome.

● Organic-inorganic fertilization led to higher microbial network stability than exclusive mineral or organic fertilization.

● The variances of the soil and root microbiome were attributed to the soil organic matter and the total nitrogen respectively.

Plant health and performance are highly dependent on the root microbiome. The impact of agricultural management on the soil microbiome has been studied extensively. However, a comprehensive understanding of how soil types and fertilization regimes affect both soil and root microbiome is still lacking, such as how fertilization regimes affect the root microbiomeʼs stability, and whether it follows the same patterns as the soil microbiome. In this study, we carried out a long-term experiment to see how different soil types, plant varieties, and fertilizer regimens affected the soil and root bacterial communities. Our results revealed higher stability of microbial networks under combined organic-inorganic fertilization than those relied solely on inorganic or organic fertilization. The root microbiome variation was predominantly caused by total nitrogen, while the soil microbiome variation was primarily caused by pH and soil organic matter. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were major drivers when the soil was amended with organic fertilizer, but Actinobacteria was found to be enriched in the soil when the soil was treated with inorganic fertilizer. Our findings demonstrate how the soil and root microbiome respond to diverse fertilizing regimes, and hence contribute to a better understanding of smart fertilizer as a strategy for sustainable agriculture.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Fertilization regime / Soil microbiome / Root microbiome / Microbial networks / Network stability

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