Abstract
Soil biochemical properties and microbial communities are usually considered as important indicators of soil health because of their association with plant nutrition. In this study, we investigated the impact of long-term application of bioorganic fertilizer (BOF) on soil biochemical properties and microbial communities in the apple orchard soil of the Loess Plateau. The experiment included three treatments: (1) control without fertilization (CK); (2) chemical fertilizer application (CF); and (3) bioorganic fertilizer application (BOF). The high throughput sequencing was used to examine the bacterial and fungal communities in apple orchard soil. The results showed that the BOF treatment significantly increased the apple yield during the experimental time (2009–2015). The application of BOF significantly increased the activities of catalase and invertase compared to those in CK and CF treatments. The high throughput sequencing data showed that the application of BOF changed the microbial community composition of all soil depths considered (0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, and 40–60 cm), e.g., the relative abundance of bio-control bacteria (Xanthomonadales, Lysobacter, Pseudomonas, and Bacillus), Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Ohtaekwangia, Ilyonectria, and Lecanicillium was increased while that of Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gp4, Gp6 and Sphaerobacter was decreased. The increase in apple yield after the application of BOF might be due to increase in organic matter, total nitrogen and catalase and invertase activities of soil and change in the bacterial community composition by enriching Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Lysobacter, and Ohtaekwangia. These results further enhance the understanding on how BOFs alter soil microbial community composition to stimulate soil productivity.
Highlights
Maintaining soil sustainability is one of the most vital requirements for crop production in agricultural systems
The highest NO3-N, Available phosphorus (AP) and AK were found in chemical fertilizer application (CF) treatment while the highest Soil organic matter (SOM) and total nitrogen (TN) contents were found in bioorganic fertilizer (BOF) treatment at all soil depths tested (Table 1)
The activities of invertase and catalase were higher in the BOF treatment than CK and CF treatments at all soil depths
Summary
Maintaining soil sustainability is one of the most vital requirements for crop production in agricultural systems. Soil organic matter (SOM), soil enzyme activity and soil microorganisms are considered as important indicators of soil fertility and productivity because they determine soil biochemical properties (Bandick and Dick, 1999; Olk and Gregorich, 2006; Application of Bioorganic Fertilizer in Orchard Soil van der Heijden et al, 2008). Soil enzymes are involved in catalyzing various reactions and metabolic processes occurring in organic matter metabolism, maintaining soil structure, cycling nutrients, and producing energy for both microorganisms and plants (Kızılkaya et al, 2004; Khan et al, 2010). Long-term N fertilization increased the activity of soil enzymes involved in labile C breakdown in conventionally managed agricultural soils (Bandick and Dick, 1999; Piotrowska and Wilczewski, 2012). Input of ordinary organic fertilizer can increase the soil enzymatic activity, but the response of enzymatic activity to the addition of bioorganic fertilizer (BOF) is not well understood
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