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Root-Parasitic Nematodes Enhance Soil Microbial Activities and Nitrogen Mineralization

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Abstract

Obligate root-parasitic nematodes can affect soil microbes positively by enhancing C and nutrient leakage from roots but negatively by restricting total root growth. However, it is unclear how the resulting changes in C availability affect soil microbial activities and N cycling. In a microplot experiment, effects of root-parasitic reniform nematodes (Rotylenchulus reniformis) on soil microbial biomass and activities were examined in six different soils planted with cotton. Rotylenchulus reniformis was introduced at 900 nematodes kg−1 soil in May 2000 prior to seeding cotton. In 2001, soil samples were collected in May before cotton was seeded and in November at the final harvest. Extractable C and N were consistently higher in the R. reniformis treatments than in the non-nematode controls across the six different soils. Nematode inoculation significantly reduced microbial biomass C, but increased microbial biomass N, leading to marked decreases in microbial biomass C:N ratios. Soil microbial respiration and net N mineralization rates were also consistently higher in the nematode treatments than in the controls. However, soil types did not have a significant impact on the effects of nematodes on these microbial parameters. These findings indicate that nematode infection of plant roots may enhance microbial activities and the turnover of soil microbial biomass, facilitating soil N cycling. The present study provides the first evidence about the direct role of root-feeding nematodes in enhancing soil N mineralization.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the grants from the US Department of Agriculture (NRI-2000-00531) and the National Science Foundation (DEB-00-01686) to S. Hu. Special thanks are expressed to Dr. Kenneth R. Barker for his valuable comments. The senior author thanks Ms. Karen M. Parker for improving the English of the manuscript, and Mr. Guillermo Ramirez in the Soil Science Department for assistance with nitrogen analysis. The valuable suggestions by two anonymous reviewers were greatly appreciated.

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  1. Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7616, USA

    C. Tu, S. R. Koenning & S. Hu

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Tu, C., Koenning, S. & Hu, S. Root-Parasitic Nematodes Enhance Soil Microbial Activities and Nitrogen Mineralization . Microb Ecol 46, 134–144 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-002-1068-2

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