Regulation of straw decomposition and its effect on soil function by the amount of returned straw in a cool zone rice crop system

Abstract

The degradation process of returned straw in rice fields can improve soil organic matter and promote sustainable agriculture. The degradation process of returned straw is a humification process as well as a mineralization process involving microorganisms and enzymes. However, the degradation process of returned straw, the effect on straw decomposing microorganisms and the regulatory mechanism on potential functionality under cool climate flooding conditions are currently unknown.For this purpose, we investigated the biodegradation of straw from a biodegradation point of view at 20, 40, 71, 104, and 137 d after return under conventional (130 kg hm−2), 1/3 straw return (2933 kg hm−2), 2/3 straw return (5866 kg hm−2), and full straw return (8800 kg hm−2) applications in cool climate rice fields.. The test found Paludibacteraceae and Archaeaceae were the dominant bacteria for straw degradation, and their relative abundance was highest when 2/3 of straw was returned to the field. The straw degradation extracellular enzyme activity was higher in the late return period (104 d). At this time, the potential functionality of the soil differed significantly among the different return amounts, with the best extracellular enzyme activity and potential functionality at the 2/3 straw return amount. Therefore, the optimal amount of rice straw returned to the field is 5866 kg hm−2 at the current conventional N application rate (130 kg hm−2) in the cold zone.