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Changes in soil microbial functional diversity and biochemical characteristics of tree peony with amendment of sewage sludge compost

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Abstract

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of sewage sludge compost application on functional diversity of soil microbial communities, based on carbon source utilization, and biochemical characteristics of tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa). Functional diversity was estimated with incubations in Biolog EcoPlates and well color development was used as the functional trait for carbon source utilization. The average well color development and Shannon index based on the carbon source utilization pattern in Biolog EcoPlates significantly increased with the increasing sludge compost application in the range of 0–45 %, with a decreasing trend above 45 %. Principal component analysis of carbon source utilization pattern showed that sludge compost application stimulated the utilization rate of d-cellobiose and α-d-lactose, while the utilization rate of β-methyl-d-glucoside, l-asparagine, l-serine, α-cyclodextrin, γ-hydroxybutyric acid, and itaconic acid gradually increased up to a sludge compost amendment dosage of 45 % and then decreased above 45 %. The chlorophyll content, antioxidase (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase) activities, plant height, flower diameter, and flower numbers per plant of tree peony increased significantly with sludge compost dosage, reaching a peak value at 45 %, and then decreased with the exception that activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase did not vary significantly.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 41101222), the Project of Science and Technology Department (nos. 112300410139, 132102210225) and the Education Department (nos. 2011A210024, 13A610788) of Henan Province.

Ethical Statement

We have confirmed that the manuscript complies with the ethical standards for Environmental Science and Pollution Research. The manuscript has not been published elsewhere and has not been submitted to other publications. The authors declare that we have no conflict of interest. The research did not involve human participants and/or animals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering and Chemistry, Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China

    Xiangdong Huang & Dong Xue

  2. Department of Clinical Laboratory, Wuchang Hospital, Wuhan, 430063, China

    Lian Xue

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  1. Xiangdong Huang
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  2. Dong Xue
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  3. Lian Xue
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Correspondence to Dong Xue.

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Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu

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Huang, X., Xue, D. & Xue, L. Changes in soil microbial functional diversity and biochemical characteristics of tree peony with amendment of sewage sludge compost. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 11617–11625 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4407-9

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