Abstract
Management of crop production using plastic film mulching (PFM) has the potential to improve soil health by accelerating nutrient cycling and facilitating stable C pool production; however, a key aspect of this process—microbial immobilization of residue C—is poorly understood, especially under PFM when combined with different fertilization treatments. A 360-day in situ 13C-tracing technique was used to analyze the contribution and dynamics of microbial biomass C (MBC) to soil organic C (SOC). Following 27-year PFM and four fertilization treatments, 13C-labelled maize straw residue was applied to micro-plot topsoil in a cultivated maize (Zea mays L.) field. Over the course of the experiment, MBC content was significantly (P<0.05) higher in treatments of organic manure (M) and manure plus nitrogen (MN) compared to the no-fertilization (CK) and nitrogen (N) treatments, regardless of PFM. Compared to no PFM controls, PFM enhanced the decomposition of maize straw by day 60 in the M and MN treatments, exhibiting increases of 93.0% and 28.6% in straw-derived MBC and 80.4% and 82.9% in the straw-derived MBC/SOC ratio, respectively. Overall, both PFM and organic manure treatments improved soil fertility through microbe-mediated incorporation of C derived from newly-added maize straw. Our results indicate that microbial growth and activity are affected by the utilization of different C sources and most dramatically during early seasonal transition.
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