The excessive use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer in intensive agriculture has increased nitrate leaching into groundwater, but its impacts on N transformation processes and the associated microbial communities in the deep vadose zone remain unclear.
Materials and methods
Soil samples from 0–1050 cm depth were collected from a 20-year field experiment with two N fertilization treatments: 0 (N0) and 600 kg N ha?1 year?1 (N600). Amplicon sequencing and quantitative PCR analyses were performed to profile the vertical distribution of soil microbial communities and denitrification genes.
Results and discussion
The soil microbial community structure and diversity were strongly influenced by soil depth and N fertilization. The 250 cm depth was identified as a threshold depth, as dramatically different microbial communities were found below and above this depth. Quantitative PCR results showed that the absolute abundance of denitrification genes decreased with increasing soil depth.
Conclusion
This study elucidated the profound effects of long-term N input on the composition and diversity of the microbial communities and the abundance of denitrifiers in the deep vadose zone. Our results provide basic information for use in mitigating nitrate leaching by enhancing microbial denitrification in deep vadose zones in intensive agricultural areas.
In recent years, identification of the microbial sources responsible for soil N2O production has substantially advanced with the development of isotope enrichment techniques, selective inhibitors, mathematical models and the discoveries of specific N-cycling functional genes. However, little information is available to effectively quantify the N2O produced from different microbial pathways (e.g. nitrification and denitrification). Here, a 15N-tracing incubation experiment was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions (50, 70 and 85% water-filled pore space (WFPS) at 25 and 35 °C). Nitrification was the main contributor to N2O production. At 50, 70 and 85% WFPS, nitrification contributed 87, 80 and 53% of total N2O production, respectively, at 25 °C, and 86, 74 and 33% at 35 °C. The proportion of nitrified N as N2O (PN2O) increased with temperature and moisture, except for 85% WFPS, when PN2O was lower at 35 °C than at 25 °C. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) were the dominant ammonia oxidizers, but both AOA and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were related to N2O emitted from nitrification. AOA and AOB abundance was significantly influenced by soil moisture, more so than temperature, and decreased with increasing moisture content. These findings can be used to develop better models for simulating N2O from nitrification to inform soil management practises for improving N use efficiency. 相似文献
● Matching nitrification inhibitors with soil properties and nitrifiers is vital to achieve a higher NUE.● Enhancing BNF, DNRA and microbial N immobilization processes via soil amendments can greatly contribute to less chemical N fertilizer input.● Plant-associated microbiomes are critical for plant nutrient uptake, growth and fitness.● Coevolutionary trophic relationships among soil biota need to be considered for improving crop NUE. Soil microbiomes drive the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and regulate soil N supply and loss, thus, pivotal nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Meanwhile, there is an increasing awareness that plant associated microbiomes and soil food web interactions is vital for modulating crop productivity and N uptake. The rapid advances in modern omics-based techniques and biotechnologies make it possible to manipulate soil-plant microbiomes for improving NUE and reducing N environmental impacts. This paper summarizes current progress in research on regulating soil microbial N cycle processes for NUE improvement, plant-microbe interactions benefiting plant N uptake, and the importance of soil microbiomes in promoting soil health and crop productivity. We also proposes a potential holistic (rhizosphere-root-phyllosphere) microbe-based approach to improve NUE and reduce dependence on mineral N fertilizer in agroecosystems, toward nature-based solution for nutrient management in intensive cropping systems. 相似文献