Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Short-term effects of returning granulated straw on soil microbial community and organic carbon fractions in dryland farming

  • Microbial Ecology and Environmental Microbiology
  • Published:
Journal of Microbiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We conducted a 2-year field experiment which was comprised of five treatments, namely no straw returning (CK), straw mulching (SM), straw plowed into the soil (SP), and straw returned in granulated form (SG). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different straw returning modes on soil bacterial and fungal community structure and their relationships to soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions at three different soil depths (0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm) in a dryland under maize cultivation in Northeast (NE) China. SM, SP, and SG treatments significantly increased SOC content. Compared with SM and SP treatments, SG treatment significantly increased the content of SOC and easily oxidizable carbon (EOC) in the topsoil (0–20 cm depth), and increased dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and SOC content of the light fraction (LFOC) in the 20–40 cm layer. Meanwhile, SG treatment exhibited the highest microbial biomass C (MBC) content in all of the three soil depths. SG treatment also enhanced bacterial richness as well as fungal richness and diversity in the upper 40 cm of soil. In addition, SG treatment increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in all depths, and had the highest relative abundance of Basidiomycota in the first 20 cm of soil. SP treatment showed the lowest soil organic carbon content in all fractions and soil microbial community composition. SM treatment exhibited similar results to SG treatment in SOC, DOC, and LFOC contents, and bacterial diversity in the topsoil and subsoil. As a whole, treatment SG improved soil quality and maize yield, hence we recommend returning granulated straw as the most effective practice for enhancing labile SOC fractions as well as maintaining soil diversity and microbial richness of arid farmlands in NE China.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akhtar, K., Wang, W., Ren, G., Khan, A., Feng, Y., and Yang, G. 2018. Changes in soil enzymes, soil properties, and maize crop productivity under wheat straw mulching in Guanzhong, China. Soil Till. Res.182, 94–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baldrian, P., Kolařík, M., Stursová, M., Kopecký, J., Valášková, V., Větrovský, T., Zifčáková, L., Snajdr, J., Rídl, J., Vlček, C., et al. 2012. Active and total microbial communities in forest soil are largely different and highly stratified during decomposition. ISME J.6, 248–258.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benbi, D.K., Brar, K., Toor, A.S., and Sharma, S. 2015. Sensitivity of labile soil organic carbon pools to long-term fertilizer, straw and manure management in rice-wheat system. Pedosphere25, 534–545.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blair, G.J., Lefroy, R.D.B., and Lise, L. 1995. Soil carbon fractions based on their degree of oxidation, and the development of a carbon management index for agricultural systems. Aust. J. Agric. Res.46, 1459–1466.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolan, N.S., Adriano, D.C., Kunhikrishnan, A., James, T., McDowell, R., and Senesi, N. 2011. Dissolved organic matter: biogeochemistry, dynamics, and environmental significance in soils. Adv. Agron.110, 1–75.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Breulmann, M., Masyutenko, N.P., Kogut, B.M., Schroll, R., Dorfler, U., Buscot, F., and Schulz, E. 2014. Short-term bioavailability of carbon in soil organic matter fractions of different particle sizes and densities in grassland ecosystems. Sci. Total Environ.497–498, 29–37.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cambardella, C.A. and Elliott, E.T. 1992. Particulate soil organicmatter changes across a grassland cultivation sequence. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.56, 777–783.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chantigny, M.H. 2003. Dissolved and water-extractable organic matter in soils: a review on the influence of land use and management practices. Geoderma113, 357–380.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Choudhury, S.G., Srivastava, S., Singh, R., Chaudhari, S.K., Sharma, D.K., Singh, S.K., and Sarkar, D. 2014. Tillage and residue management effects on soil aggregation, organic carbon dynamics and yield attribute in rice-wheat cropping system under reclaimed sodic soil. Soil Till. Res.136, 76–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, B.T. 2001. Physical fractionation of soil and structural and functional complexity in organic matter turnover. Eur. J. Soil Sci.52, 345–353.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cookson, W.R., Abaye, D.A., Marschner, P., Murphy, D.V., Stockdale, E.A., and Goulding, K.W.T. 2005. The contribution of soil organic matter fractions to carbon and nitrogen mineralization and microbial community size and structure. Soil Biol. Biochem.37, 1726–1737.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cotrufo, M.F., Wallenstein, M.D., Boot, C.M., Denef, K., and Paul, E. 2013. The Microbial Efficiency Matrix Stabilization (MEMS) framework integrates plant litter decomposition with soil organic matter stabilization: do labile plant inputs form stable soil organic matter? Global Change Biol.19, 988–995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deb, S., Bhadoria, P.B.S., Mandal, B., Rakshit, A., and Singh, H.B. 2015. Soil organic carbon: Towards better soil health, productivity and climate change mitigation. Clim. Change Environ. Sustain.3, 26–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ding, X.L., Han, X., Liang, Y., Qiao, Y.F., Li, L., and Li, N. 2012. Changes in soil organic carbon pools after 10 years of continuous manuring combined with chemical fertilizer in a Mollisol in China. Soil Till. Res.122, 36–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dong, W., Si, P., Liu, E., Yan, C., Zhang, Z., and Zhang, Y. 2017. Influence of film mulching on soil microbial community in a rainfed region of northeastern China. Sci. Rep.7, 8468.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Dong, W., Zhang, X., Dai, X., Fu, X., Yang, F., Liu, X., Sun, X., Wen, X., and Schaeffer, S. 2014. Changes in soil microbial community composition in response to fertilization of paddy soils in subtropical China. Appl. Soil Ecol.84, 140–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edgar, R.C. 2010. Search and clustering orders of magnitude faster than BLAST. Bioinformatics26, 2460–2461.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Faoro, H., Alves, A.C., Souza, E.M., Rigo, L.U., Cruz, L.M., Al-Janabi, S.M., Monteiro, R.A., Baura, V.A., and Pedrosa, F.O. 2010. Influence of soil characteristics on the diversity of bacteria in the Southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.76, 4744–4749.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Franke-Whittle, I.H., Manici, L.M., Insam, H., and Stres, B. 2015. Rhizosphere bacteria and fungi associated with plant growth in soils of three replanted apple orchards. Plant Soil395, 317–333.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fu, X., Wang, J., Sainjuc, U.M., Zhao, F.Z., and Liu, W.Z. 2019. Soil microbial community and carbon and nitrogen fractions responses to mulching under winter wheat. Appl. Soil Ecol.139, 64–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giannetta, B., Plaza, C., Vischetti, C., Cotrufo, M.F., and Zaccone, C. 2018. Distribution and thermal stability of physically and chemically protected organic matter fractions in soils across different ecosystems. Biol. Fertil. Soils54, 671–681.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grandy, A.S., Salam, D.S., Wickings, K., McDaniel, M., Culman, S.W., and Snapp, S.S. 2013. Soil respiration and litter decomposition responses to N fertilization rate in no-till corn systems. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ.179, 35–40.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gregorich, E.G., Beare, M.H., McKim, U.F., and Skjemstad, J.O. 2006. Chemical and biological characteristics of physically uncompleted organic matter. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.70, 975–985.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haynes, R.J. 2005. Labile organic matter fractions as central components of the quality of agricultural soils: an overview. Adv. Agron.85, 221–268.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, N., Wang, B., Gu, Z., Tao, B., Zhang, Z., Hu, S., Zhu, L., and Meng, Y. 2016. Effects of different straw returning modes on greenhouse gas emissions and crop yields in a rice-wheat rotation system. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ.223, 115–122.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, J., Wu, J., and Qu, X. 2018. Decomposition characteristics of organic materials and their effects on labile and recalcitrant organic carbon fractions in a semi-arid soil under plastic mulch and drip irrigation. J. Arid Land10, 115–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, Y., Xiang, D., Veresoglou, S.D., Chen, F., Chen, Y., Hao, Z., Zhang, X., and Chen, B. 2014. Soil organic carbon and soil structure are driving microbial abundance and community composition across the arid and semi-arid grasslands in northern China. Soil Biol. Biochem.77, 51–57.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IUSS Working Group WRB. 2015. World reference base for soil resources 2014, update 2015 International soil classification system for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps. World Soil Resources Reports No. 106. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, P.K., Xu, Q.F., Xu, Z.H., and Cao, Z.H. 2006. Seasonal changes in soil labile organic carbon pools within a Phyllostachys praecox stand under high rate fertilization and winter mulch in subtropical China. For. Ecol. Manage.236, 30–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, J.F., Paul, L.R., and Finlay, R.D. 2004. Microbial interactions in the mycorrhizosphere and their significance for sustainable agriculture. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol.48, 1–13.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R.T., Robeson, M.S., Lauber, C.L., Hamady, M., Knight, R., and Fierer, N. 2009. A comprehensive survey of soil acidobacterial diversity using pyrosequencing and clone library analyses. ISME J.3, 442–453.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Koyama, A., Wallenstein, M.D., Simpson, R.T., and Moore, J.C. 2014. Soil bacterial community composition altered by increased nutrient availability in Arctic tundra soils. Front. Microbiol.5, 516.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kuramae, E.E., Hillekens, R.H.E., de Hollander, M., van der Heijden, M.G.A., van den Berg, M., van Straalen, N.M., and Kowalchuk, G.A. 2013. Structural and functional variation in soil fungal communities associated with litter bags containing maize leaf. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol.84, 519–531.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liang, Q., Chen, H., Gong, Y., Fan, M., Yang, H., Lal, R., and Kuzyakov, Y. 2012. Effects of 15 years of manure and inorganic fertilizers on soil organic carbon fractions in a wheat-maize system in the North China Plain. Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosys.92, 21–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, D., Keiblinger, K.M., Schindlbacher, A., Wegner, U., Sun, H., Fuchs, S., Lassek, C., Riedel, K., and Zechmeister-Boltenstern, S. 2017. Microbial functionality as affected by experimental warming of a temperate mountain forest soil-A metaproteomics survey. Appl. Soil Ecol.117–118, 196–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luo, S., Zhu, L., Liu, J., Bu, L., Yue, S., Shen, Y., and Li, S.Q. 2015. Sensitivity of soil organic carbon stocks and fractions to soil surface mulching in semiarid farmland. Eur. J. Soil Biol.67, 35–42.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maidak, B.L., Olsen, G.J., Larsen, N., Overbeek, R., McCaughey, M.J., and Woese, C.R. 1997. The RDP (ribosomal database project). Nucleic Acids Res.25, 109–111.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Marschner, B. and Bredow, A. 2002. Temperature effects on release and ecologically relevant properties of dissolved organic carbon in sterilized and biologically active soil samples. Soil Biol. Biochem.34, 459–466.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marschner, P., Umar, S., and Baumann, K. 2011. The microbial community composition changes rapidly in the early stages of decomposition of wheat residue. Soil Biol. Biochem.43, 445–451.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Medina, J., Monreal, C., Barea, J.M., Arriagada, C., Borie, F., and Cornejo, P. 2015. Crop residue stabilization and application to agricultural and degraded soils: A review. Waste Manag.42, 41–54.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Navarro-Noya, Y.E., Gómez-Acata, S., Montoya-Ciriaco, N., Rojas-Valdez, A., Suárez-Arriaga, M.C., Valenzuela-Encinas, C., Jiménez-Bueno, N., Verhulst, N., Govaerts, B., and Dendooven, L. 2013. Relative impacts of tillage, residue management and crop-rotation on soil bacterial communities in a semi-arid agroecosystem. Soil Biol. Biochem.65, 86–95.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Osler, G.H.R. and Sommerkorn, M. 2007. Toward a complete soil C and N cycle: incorporating the soil fauna. Ecology88, 1611–1621.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Plaza, C., Giannetta, B., Benavente, I., Vischetti, C., and Zaccone, C. 2019. Density-based fractionation of soil organic matter: effects of heavy liquid and heavy fraction washing. Sci. Rep.9, 10146.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Plaza, C., Zaccone, C., Sawicka, K., Méndez, A.M., Tarquis, A., Gascó, G., Heuvelink, G.B.M., Schuur, E.A.G., and Maestre, F.T. 2018. Soil resources and element stocks in drylands to face global issues. Sci. Rep.8, 13788.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Poirier, V., Angers, D.A., Rochette, P., and Whalen, J.K. 2013. Initial soil organic carbon concentration influences the short-term retention of crop-residue carbon in the fine fraction of a heavy clay soil. Biol. Fert. Soils49, 527–535.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Powlson, D.S., Bhogal, A., Chambers, B.J., Coleman, K., Macdonald, A.J., Goulding, K.W.T., and Whitmore, A.P. 2012. The potential to increase soil carbon stocks through reduced tillage or organic material additions in England and Wales: a case study. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ.146, 23–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ren, C., Zhao, F., Kang, D., Yang, G., Han, X., Tong, X., Feng, Y., and Ren, G. 2016. Linkages of C:N:P stoichiometry and bacterial community in soil following afforestation of former farmand. For. Ecol. Manage.376, 59–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schollenberger, C.J. 1945. Determination of soil organic matter. Soil Sci.59, 53–56.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schreiter, S., Ding, G.C., Heuer, H., Neumann, G., Sandmann, M., Grosch, R., Kropf, S., and Smalla, K. 2014. Effects of the soil type on the microbiome in the rhizosphere of field-grown lettuce. Front. Microbiol.5, 144.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Soil Survey Staff. 1999. Soil taxonomy: A basic system of soil classification for making and interpreting soil surveys. 2nd edn. Natural Resources Conservation Service. U.S. Department of Agricilture Handbook 436, Washington D.C., USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, F.J. 1994. Humus Chemistry. Genesis, Composition, Reactions. 2nd edn. John Wiley & Sons, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stockmann, U., Adams, M.A., Crawford, J.W., Field, D.J., Henakaarchchi, N., Jenkins, M., Minasny, B., McBratney, A.B., Courcelles, V.D.R.D., Singh, K., et al. 2013. The knowns, known unknowns and unknowns of sequestration of soil organic carbon. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ.164, 80–99.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, J., Zhang, Q., Zhou, J., and Wei, Q. 2014. Pyrosequencing technology reveals the impact of different manure doses on the bacterial community in apple rhizosphere soil. Appl. Soil Ecol.78, 28–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vance, E.D., Brookes, P.C., and Jenkinson, D.S. 1987. An extraction method for measuring soil microbial biomass C. Soil Biol. Biochem.19, 703–707.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Voříšková, J., Brabcová, V., Cajthaml, T., and Baldrian, P. 2014. Seasonal dynamics of fungal communities in a temperate oak forest soil. New Phytol.201, 269–278.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whalen, J.K., Gul, S., Poirier, V., Yanni, S.F., Simpson, M.J., Clemente, J.S., Feng, X., Grayston, S.J., Barker, J., Gregorich, E.G., et al. 2014. Transforming plant carbon into soil carbon: processlevel controls on carbon sequestration. Can. J. Plant Sci.94, 1065–1073.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xue, D., Yao, H.Y., and Huang, C. 2006. Microbial biomass, N mineralization and nitrification, enzyme activities, and microbial community diversity in tea orchard soils. Plant Soil288, 319–331.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, C., Liu, C., and Zhang, Y.J. 2019. Soil aggregates regulate the impact of soil bacterial and fungal communities on soil respiration. Geoderma337, 444–452.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, C.T., Jones, K.L., Peterson, D.E., Garrett, K.A., Hulbert, S.H., and Paulitz, T.C. 2010. Members of soil bacterial communities sensitive to tillage and crop rotation. Soil Biol. Biochem.42, 2111–2118.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zaccone, C., Beneduce, L., Lotti, C., Martino, G., and Plaza, C. 2018. DNA occurrence in organic matter fractions isolated from amended, agricultural soils. Appl. Soil Ecol.130, 134–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, X.M., He, L., Zhang, Z.D., Wang, H.B., and Zhao, L.P. 2016a. Simulation of accumulation and mineralization (CO2 release) of organic carbon in chernozem under different straw return ways after corn harvesting. Soil Till. Res.156, 148–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, S.C., Li, K.J., Zhou, W., Qiu, S.J., Huang, S.W., and He, P. 2016b. Changes in soil microbial community, enzyme activities and organic matter fractions under long-term straw return in north-central China. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ.216, 82–88.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge Prof. Juan Carlos García-Gil and Dr. Iria Benavente of Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), who have greatly contributed to improving our paper. This study was supported by grants from the Key Research Program of the Science & Technology Agency of Jilin Province, China (20190301018NY) and the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant number 2018YFD0300203; 2017YFD-0201801).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environment Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, 130118, P. R. China

    Wei Fan & Jinggui Wu

Authors
  1. Wei Fan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jinggui Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jinggui Wu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Fan, W., Wu, J. Short-term effects of returning granulated straw on soil microbial community and organic carbon fractions in dryland farming. J Microbiol. 58, 657–667 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-020-9266-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-020-9266-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation