Root processes counteract the suppression of nitrogen-induced priming effects by enhancing microbial activity and catabolism in greenhouse vegetable production systems - 2026
Root processes counteract the suppression of nitrogen-induced priming effects by enhancing microbial activity and catabolism in greenhouse vegetable production systems
[en] Nitrogen (N) fertilization regulates soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition by altering the priming effect (PE) and root activities, affecting subsequently soil carbon sequestration and crop productivity. However, the effects of long-term N fertilization on the direction and magnitude of SOC and underlying mechanisms priming in the rhizosphere compared with bulk soils remain unclear. In this study, paired rhizosphere and bulk soil samples were collected from a 15-year greenhouse tomato production system under four chemical N fertilizer treatments: 0 (N0), 102 (N1), 327 (N2), and 552 (N3) kg N ha–1 yr–1, in addition to uniform manure and straw amendment at 123 kg N ha-1 yr-1. These samples were incubated for 49 days with or without the addition of 13C-labeled glucose, and the incorporation of glucose-derived 13C into CO2 and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) was monitored to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the PE. The results showed a significant interaction between N fertilization and soil niche. The relative PE was significantly higher under the N0 treatment (1.82–2.02 %) compared with the strongly negative values observed under N1–N3 treatments (-0.81 % to -10.18 %) in both rhizosphere and bulk soils, indicating that increased N availability suppressed SOC decomposition. However, rhizosphere soils exhibited significantly weaker negative PE (-2.66 %) than bulk soils (-4.36 %), primarily due to lower dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) levels and higher microbial abundance and activity, suggesting that rhizosphere processes partially counteracted the suppressive effect of N fertilization. A reduction in relative PE correlated with increases in dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), glucose-derived microbial biomass carbon (13MBC), and microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE). Overall, long-term N fertilization suppressed SOC priming by enhancing soil N availability and microbial C assimilation capacity. However, root-mediated microbial legacy effects in the rhizosphere counteracted this suppression, highlighting the importance of N–soil niche interactions in regulating SOC turnover. These findings offer novel insights into soil carbon cycling dynamics and have implications for targeted soil carbon sequestration strategies in intensive greenhouse agriculture.
Disciplines :
Earth sciences & physical geography
Author, co-author :
Lian, Jinshan ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre ; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China ; National Center of Technology Innovation for Comprehensive Utilization of Saline-Alkali Land. Innovation for Comprehensive Utilization of Saline-Alkali Land, China
Massart, Sébastien ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département GxABT > Gestion durable des bio-agresseurs
Li, Guihua ; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China ; National Center of Technology Innovation for Comprehensive Utilization of Saline-Alkali Land. Innovation for Comprehensive Utilization of Saline-Alkali Land, China
Zhang, Jianfeng; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China ; National Center of Technology Innovation for Comprehensive Utilization of Saline-Alkali Land. Innovation for Comprehensive Utilization of Saline-Alkali Land, China ; Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
Language :
English
Title :
Root processes counteract the suppression of nitrogen-induced priming effects by enhancing microbial activity and catabolism in greenhouse vegetable production systems
CSC - China Scholarship Council NSCF - National Natural Science Foundation of China Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System
Funding text :
We acknowledge all the colleagues for their unremitting efforts on the long-term experiments. We also sincerely thank Dr. Xiao Liu for her valuable help in improving the English language of this manuscript. This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: 22176215), the Earmarked fund for CARS (grant number: CARS 23-B18), Key Technology Research and Development Program of Shandong Province (grant number: 2023TZXD087) and the program of China Scholarship Council (grant number:202303250059).
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