Abstract
Fallow management can improve the soil nutrients in the topsoil and upper subsoil. However, little is known about the effects of short-term (one year) fallowing with different treatments, such as vegetation and fertilization, on subsoil (20–40 cm) properties. We conducted field trials to explore the changes in subsoil properties in response to such treatments in the Yellow River Delta region in China. Different vegetation and fertilization treatments were applied, and we measured the carbon and nitrogen contents, microbial biomass and microbial community structure in the subsoil. Fallowing without manure resulted in the storage of more total nitrogen (16.38%) than fallowing with manure, and meadow vegetation improved the ammonium nitrogen content (45.71%) relative to spontaneous vegetation. Spontaneous vegetation with manure improved the microbial biomass nitrogen (P < 0.05). Although the impact of short-term fallowing on microbial community structure was low, an effect of management was observed for some genera. Blastopirellula, Lysobacter, and Acidobacteria Gp6 showed significant differences among fallow treatments by the end of the year (P < 0.05). Blastopirellula abundance was related to the microbial biomass nitrogen and nitrogen mineralization rate in the subsoil. Manure retained a high abundance of Lysobacter, which may strengthen soil-borne disease resistance. The response of Acidobacteria Gp6 showed that meadow vegetation without manure may not benefit future crops. Although the treatments did not significantly improve microbial community structure in the one-year period, annual fallowing improved certain subsoil properties and increased the number of functional genera, which may enhance crop productivity in the future.
Highlights
Agricultural fallowing is an effective method for restoring degenerated farmland (Akobundu, Ekeleme & Chikoye, 1999; Burgers, Ketterings & Garrity, 2005; Manalil & Flower, 2014)
The soil physiochemical properties were impacted by different fallow practices
In October, only NS and NM overlap, and MS and MM do not overlap with other treatments, which indicated that the differences became larger
Summary
Agricultural fallowing is an effective method for restoring degenerated farmland (Akobundu, Ekeleme & Chikoye, 1999; Burgers, Ketterings & Garrity, 2005; Manalil & Flower, 2014). An energy evaluation revealed increasing chemical fertilizer input and agricultural pollution in northwestern China because the farmlands that did not participate in the ‘‘Grain for Green’’ project were more profitable (Feng et al, 2005; Wang, Shen & Zhang, 2014). Based on these issues, an arable land fallow system (the fallow system) was initiated in pilot regions in 2016 (Reuters, 2018; Wang et al, 2018). The participating farmland will be used for food production again after the fallow period
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