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To compare the differences in the soil microbial community structure in yellow soil paddy fields after the long-term application of chemical fertilizer, the role and mechanism of chemical fertilizer in maintaining soil microbial diversity were analyzed, and a theoretical basis for fertilization management in farmlands was provided. In this study, long-term experiments were conducted at the Scientific Observation and Experimental Station of the Arable Land Conservation and Agricultural Environment (Guizhou), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Soil samples were collected from five treatments: fertilizer N, P, and K (NPK); fertilizer P and K (PK); fertilizer N and K (NK); fertilizer N and P (NP); and no fertilizer (CK). High-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze the microbial composition and diversity of the colonies, and the influencing factors are discussed. An analysis of the soil bacterial α diversity indices under the different fertilization treatments revealed that the long-term application of NPK fertilizers had less of an effect on the soil bacterial α diversity indices than did the CK. The long-term application of chemical fertilizers significantly reduced the soil bacterial Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson indices, while there was no significant difference in the bacterial Pielou e index among the treatments. The long-term application of chemical fertilizers significantly increased the soil fungal Chao1 index, but the effects on the other indices were not significant (p < 0.05). An analysis of the bacterial and fungal species under different fertilization treatments showed found that compared with CK, the long-term application of chemical fertilizer increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria to varying degrees while reducing the relative abundance of Chloroflexi. The impact of other phyla was relatively small, and the difference in the relative abundance of fungi was not significant (p < 0.05). Principal component analysis revealed that, at the genus level, the bacterial and fungal community structures in the CK and NK treatments were relatively independent, while those in the NPK, PK, and NP treatments were similar. Random forest analysis revealed that OM, TP, and TK are the dominant factors that affect soil bacteria α diversity. The dominant factors affecting fungi α diversity are pH, OM, and AK. Redundancy analysis indicated that AK and TP were the main factors affecting bacterial community structure, while AP, AK, and pH were the main factors affecting fungal community structure. The conclusion drawn from this study is that the long-term application of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer; phosphorus and potassium fertilizer; and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer can improve soil fertility, alter the soil environment, enhance microbial diversity, and improve the microbial community structure in yellow soil paddy fields, promoting soil ecosystem stability and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer application is one of the causes of soil acidification at tea plantations. However, the effect of N fertilizer application on the soil acidification characteristics of tea plantations with different acidities remains unclear. In this study, field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of different nitrogen fertilizer application rates on the pH, pH buffer capacity (pHBC), exchangeable total acidity (ETA), exchangeable base cations (EBCs), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) in the topsoil of non-acidified (NA), mildly acidified (MA), and heavily acidified (HA) tea plantations. The results showed that the exchangeable Al3+ (E-Al) and CEC were HA > MA > NA in all tea plantations, whereas the EBCs and base saturation percentage (BSP) were HA < MA < NA. In the tea plantations with pH > 4.0, the pH, EBCs, and BSP showed decreasing trends with increasing N fertilizer application, whereas E-Al showed an increasing trend. In the tea plantations with pH < 4.0, the soil pH showed a small increasing trend with the increase in N fertilizer application, whereas the soil exchangeable H+ (E-H), E-Al, and CEC showed decreasing trends. Meanwhile, in the pH range of 4–6, the soil acid–base buffer curve rose sharply, and an excessive application of N fertilizer (N900) significantly reduced the pHBC. In addition, a stepwise regression analysis showed that the BSP, EBCs, and exchangeable Mg2+ (E-Mg) had significant direct effects on the soil pH, whereas the CEC and N application had significant direct effects on the soil pHBC. In conclusion, a decrease in the BSP and an increase in E-Al were the main mechanisms of acidification at tea plantations, whereas a decrease in the BSP caused by the application of N fertilizer was the main cause of exacerbated soil acidification in non-acidified tea plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capacity of soil to store carbon (C) and emit carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere primarily depends on soil management practices. It is essential to understand the impact of management strategies on the soil organic carbon (SOC) content and labile organic carbon (LOC) fraction. The impacts of 24‑year-long organic and inorganic nitrogen (N) treatments on SOC, KMnO4-oxidizable organic carbon and its fractions (highly labile organic carbon (HLOC), moderately labile organic carbon (MLOC), low labile organic carbon (LLOC) and nonlabile organic carbon (NLOC)), and a carbon management index (CMI) were investigated under a continuous maize cultivation system in a long-term experiment in Guizhou, Southwest China. Six fertilizer treatments were included: no fertilizer input (CK), chemical fertilizer alone (NPK), 25% N through farmyard manure (FYM) plus 75% N through chemical fertilizer (1/4N-M+3/4N-CF), 50% N through FYM plus 50% N through chemical fertilizer (1/2N-M+1/2N-CF), FYM plus chemical fertilizer (MNPK) and FYM alone (M). We used the LOC content and CMI value to assess the effects of long-term combinations of FYM and chemical fertilizers at different rates on the SOC pool in various soil layers (0–20, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80, 80–100 cm) and to identify the most suitable integrated treatment. The results showed that the application of organic fertilizer generally increased the SOC content, the LOC fraction, and the CMI values in different layers, especially the surface layer, compared to the CK and NPK fertilization treatments. The SOC content and LOC fraction decreased with increasing soil depth. The significant relationship between the LOC fraction, CMI value, LOC available ratio of carbon (LOC-AR), and soil parameters showed that these values can be used to sensitively assess soil quality and SOC changes in the system. Considering the comprehensive effects on the SOC content, LOC fraction, CMI value, AR value, etc., the 1/4N-M+3/4N-CF and 1/2N-M+1/2N-CF treatments showed the greatest influence on carbon sequestration and soil productivity; therefore, these could be the best options for maize cropping systems in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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