Regulation of nitrification in latosolic red soils by organic amendment

Abstract

The effect of glucose, chicken manure, and filter mud on the ammonium and nitrate concentrations, ammonia-oxidizing bacterial community and bacterial community in latosolic red soils during the incubation of microcosms was investigated. The soil nitrate concentration was significantly lower in the glucose-treated soil than in the filter mud or chicken manure-treated soil from days 2 and 5 to 21 of incubation. The ammonia-oxidizing bacteria community composition, measured by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, was different among the treatments 9 days after incubation, suggesting that the control soil without external fertilization had a low 283-bp (Nitrosospira) fragment relative abundance (27 %) compared with the glucose-treated (62 %), filter mud (73 %) and chicken manure (78 %) samples. Additionally, 491-bp fragments (Nitrosomonas) were detected in all the soil treatments except for the control soil, and 48-bp fragments (from different Nitrosomonas) were detected in the chicken manure-treated soil. The bacterial community structure was markedly changed in the glucose-treated soil on day 9 and in the filter mud-treated soil on day 31, indicating that the effect of filter mud on the bacterial community is delayed compared to the effect of glucose. The chicken manure-treated soil showed less change, similar to that of the control soil. Glucose fertilization greatly increased the soil bacterial abundance and functional diversity; however, the chicken manure and filter mud did not stimulate soil bacterial activity on day 9. These results indicated that nitrification may have been somewhat suppressed in the glucose-treated soils, which was possibly related to the improving ammonia-oxidizing bacterial community, bacterial community and activity via the available carbon application. The filter manure and chicken manure treatments demonstrated fewer effects. These results suggest that organic carbon quality, e.g., increasing the available carbon, regulates the nitrification process and is beneficial to reducing soil nitrogen losses.