Abstract
AimsIn order to counteract the enduring decreases in the quality of agricultural land, mechanistic studies for a more sustainable agricultural crop production were performed. They aimed to assess the effects of organic amendments in combination with mineral fertilizer on soil-rhizosphere microbiota and their influence on soil health and plant performance.MethodsIn a short-term greenhouse experiment, the effects of pelletized spent mushroom substrate, with different combinations of biochar and mineral fertilizer, on agricultural soil and performance of Hordeum vulgare L were scrutinized. To evaluate improved soil quality, different soil biological and chemical properties, microbial activity, bacterial diversity and plant performance were assessed.ResultsPlant performance increased across all fertilizer combinations. Bacterial β-diversity changed from the initial to the final sampling, pointing at a strong influence of plant development on the rhizosphere with increasing abundances of Acidobacteria and decreasing abundances of Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes. Microbial activity (FDA), potential enzyme activity and metabolic diversity of the microbial community (BIOLOG) were not affected by the amendments, whereas bacterial community structure changed on family level, indicating functional redundancy. Treatments containing biochar and the highest amount of mineral fertilizer (B_MF140) caused the strongest changes, which were most pronounced for the families Xanthobacteraceae, Mycobacteriaceae, and Haliangiaceae.ConclusionApplying organic amendments improved plant performance and maintained soil health, contributing to more sustainable crop production. Nevertheless, long-term field studies are recommended to verify the findings of this short-term experiment.
Highlights
Since the beginning of the twentieth century, application of mineral fertilizers has expanded agricultural production and increased yields to feed a rapidly growing world population (Erisman et al 2008)
Microbial activity (FDA), potential enzyme activity and metabolic diversity of the microbial community (BIOLOG) were not affected by the amendments, whereas bacterial community structure changed on family level, indicating functional redundancy
Treatments containing biochar and the highest amount of mineral fertilizer (B_MF140) caused the strongest changes, which were most pronounced for the families Xanthobacteraceae, Mycobacteriaceae, and Haliangiaceae
Summary
Since the beginning of the twentieth century, application of mineral fertilizers has expanded agricultural production and increased yields to feed a rapidly growing world population (Erisman et al 2008). Excessive use of mineral fertilizer has been proven to be detrimental for soil microbial biomass, soil habitat functioning, plant species diversity, plant and even human health (Geisseler and Scow 2014; Horrigan et al 2002). To mitigate these negative effects and to make agriculture more sustainable, the application of organic amendments (OA) obtained via cascading, upgrading and recycling of bio-based products has found raising interest (SCAR-report 2015; Schröder et al 2018). Biological properties can be affected as shown for the soil microbial community structure and changes in its quantity, diversity and activity (Albiach et al 2000; Bonilla et al 2012b; Schmid et al 2017)
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