Long-term bioorganic and organic fertilization improved soil quality and multifunctionality under continuous cropping in watermelon

Abstract

Continuous cropping has can majorly damage the soil ecosystem, leading to an increased prevalence of pathogenic microorganisms and severe yield losses for watermelons. Multiple prevention strategies have been adopted to overcome this obstacle, among which the application of bioorganic fertilizer can improve microbiome deterioration. However, the response of soil ecosystem multifunctionality and soil quality to fertilizer regimes under continuous cropping remains poorly understood. In this study, based on an 8-year field experiment, we evaluated soil health and ecosystem multifunctionality under different fertilization treatments. Long-term bio-organic fertilization preserved soil electrical conductivity and increased total Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ca, and Mg, total and available nutrients, and enzyme activities compared with those in unfertilized control (CK) and chemical fertilizer treatments. Enzyme activities and yield rapidly changed, indicating their sensitivity to these management practices. Conversely, soil pH, biodiversity, medium/trace elements, and total NPK content were more resistant to change than enzyme activities, suggesting higher stability over time. The area of soil quality index under bio-organic fertilization was 1.2–2.9 times larger than that under CK treatment. Applying biological organic fertilizer and a mixture of chemical and organic fertilizers improved the multifunctionality decline caused by continuous cropping by 1.1–1.4 times, whereas the effect of the chemical fertilizer was weak. Soil health was positively correlated with ecosystem multifunctionality. These findings suggest that long-term bioorganic and organic fertilization is an effective strategy for improving soil quality and multifunctionality in continuous watermelon crops while also contributing toward a more sustainable agricultural system.