Ecosystem multifunctionality; Long-term fertilization; Minimum data set; Soil health; Ecology; Animal Science and Zoology; Agronomy and Crop Science
Abstract :
[en] As an effective field management practice for better crop productivity, fertilization showed profound impacts on soil health by altering soil chemical, physical, and biological processes. But, how soil health and related ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) respond to long-term fertilization remains unclear. In this study, based on a 29-year field experiment, we evaluated soil health and EMF under chemical fertilization versus manure application. Long-term manure application maintained soil pH, significantly increased water-stable aggregate, total and available nutrients, microbial biomass and community (bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes, etc.), and enzyme activities compared with treatments under chemical fertilizers. Edaphic factors of soil organic carbon (SOC), available phosphorous (AP), fungi, cation exchange capacity, and clay content were identified as key indicators of soil health evaluation by network analysis. The soil health indices (SHIs) of chemical fertilizer treatments were 39–52% lower than that of natural vegetation recovery, with carbon and nutrient cycling, soil biodiversity maintenance, and productivity at low ecosystem function levels. Manure application enhanced soil health by 150–196% compared to unfertilized control by improving SOC, P availability, and sustaining ecosystem functions with carbon and nutrient cycling, soil biodiversity maintenance, buffering and filtering capacity, and productivity at relatively high ecosystem function levels. The individual functions of carbon and nutrient cycling, physical structure stability, and productivity illustrated sensitive responses to the increase in soil health, while inherent soil functions of buffering and filtering capacity and soil biodiversity maintenance were only correlated with high soil health. Manuring improved soil functions and soil health simultaneously, indicating a synergistic relationship. Our findings highlight the significance of manure application to improve soil health and sustain functions in intensive agricultural systems.
Li, Xin ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre ; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Key Laboratory of Arable Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Qiao, Lei; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Key Laboratory of Arable Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Huang, Yaping; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Key Laboratory of Arable Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Li, Dongchu; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Key Laboratory of Arable Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Xu, Minggang; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Key Laboratory of Arable Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Ge, Tida ; State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Institute of Plant Virology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
Meersmans, Jeroen ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Echanges Eau - Sol - Plantes
Zhang, Wenju; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Key Laboratory of Arable Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Language :
English
Title :
Manuring improves soil health by sustaining multifunction at relatively high levels in subtropical area
This work was financially supported by the National Science & Technology Fundamental Resources Investigation Project of China ( 2021FY100500 ) and Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund ( Y2023LM03 ). We thanked the Uliège-CAAS Ph.D. partnership program during graduate cultivation.
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