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Plant–microbial competition for amino acids depends on soil acidity and the microbial community

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Abstract

Purpose

Soil acidification influences competitive N uptake between plants and microorganisms. The mechanisms by which soil acidification affects competition between maize and microorganisms for organic N must be determined to understand N cycling and adjust the forms and levels of N fertilisation.

Methods

The uptake of glycine, mineral N after glycine decomposition, and NH4+ by maize and microorganisms was investigated using 13C and 15N labelling. Microbial community composition biomarkers were analysed using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Mineralisation of organic N was monitored via CO2 production, and gross NH4+/NO3 production and consumption was assessed using 15N pool dilution.

Results

Soil acidification (pH from 7.6 to 5.1) increased the intact glycine uptake by maize roots (from 0.7 to 2.4% of added 15N) but decreased its uptake by microorganisms (from 32 to 2.4% of added 15N). Soil acidification altered the microbial community composition: the PLFA of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and anaerobes decreased by 6- and 1.5-fold, respectively. Soil acidification reduced the decomposition rates of proteins, peptides, and amino acids as indicated by the CO2 release. This corresponded to a gross NH4+ production increase by 1.3-fold and a gross NO3 production decrease by 97%, compared with soil at pH 7.1.

Conclusions

Acidification led to decreased microbial biomass, shift in the microbial community, and the strong decrease (10–15-fold) in amino acid uptake by microorganisms, and was beneficial to maize plants, which assimilated 2.4% of the N added as glycine. However, these quantities of N are insufficient for a substantial increase in the N nutrition of the plants.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31872180; 32172674; 32102488) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2020YFD1100402). YK offers thanks for the support of the Government Program of Competitive Growth of Kazan Federal University, RUDN University Strategic Academic Leadership Program, Government Program of Competitive Growth of Kazan Federal University, and West-Siberian Interregional Science and Education Center’s project “TerrArctic” (89-DON 1).

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Wankun Pan, Qingxu Ma, Sheng Tang, and Lianghuan Wu conceived and designed the study, analysed data, and drafted the manuscript; Jingjie Zhou, Mengjiao Liu, and Meng Xu collected the data; Yakov Kuzyakov interpreted the results, and revised the manuscript and data presentations.

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Correspondence to Qingxu Ma or Lianghuan Wu.

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Pan, W., Tang, S., Zhou, J. et al. Plant–microbial competition for amino acids depends on soil acidity and the microbial community. Plant Soil 475, 457–471 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05381-w

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