No tillage and residue mulching method on bacterial community diversity regulation in a black soil region of Northeastern China

Abstract

Soil microorganisms are important components of agricultural ecosystems; they are important in agricultural soil nutrient cycle and are easily affected by soil tillage. The response of soil microbial community to tillage is very complex, and the effect of the no tillage and residue mulching method on soil microbial diversity remains unclear. In 2019, the soil was collected from an experimental field after 10 years of continuous cultivation in the black soil area of the Sanjiang Plain in Northeastern China. In this study, the diversity and composition of the soil bacterial community and their relationship with soil properties were explored via high-throughput sequencing under no tillage with four residue mulching treatments. No tillage with 60% residue mulching (NTR3) significantly increased the alpha diversity of the rhizosphere soil bacteria and changed the composition of the bacterial community—consistent with changes in soil physicochemical properties. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the dominant phyla in the sample soil. Soil physicochemical properties explained 80.6% of the changes in soil diversity and composition, of which soil organic carbon, soil pH, and soil temperature were the principal contributors. Our results suggest that no tillage and residue mulching is conducive to increasing soil organic carbon and soil nutrient content, which is a beneficial conservation tillage measure for black soil protection in Sanjiang Plain of Northeast China. The no tillage with residue mulching, especially 60% residue mulching, alters soil bacterial community and highlights the importance of soil physicochemical properties in shaping the diversity and composition of the soil bacterial community. Our findings contribute to a broad understanding of the effects of no tillage and residue mulching on bacterial community differences and provide a scientific basis for the optimization of no tillage measures and sustainable utilization of the black soil of the Sanjiang Plain in Northeastern China.

What Influences Farmers’ Adoption of Soil Testing and Formulated Fertilization Technology in Black Soil Areas? An Empirical Analysis Based on Logistic-ISM Model

“…The black soil area located in northeastern China has a total area of approximately 1.09 million square kilometers, which is one of the three largest black soil areas in the world. However, under the action of natural factors such as erosion, slabbing and salinization, this land has also experienced long-term exploitation by high-intensity rough farming activities, which has led to a gradual loss of organic matter content in black soils, changes in the area and structure of soils and decreases in soil consolidation, water retention and fertilization capacity in varying proportions, as well as decreases in ecological and economic benefits [ 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Liaoning Province is an important black soil distribution area in China and also a pilot province for STFFT promotion.…”

Differential Response of Soil Microbial Diversity and Community Composition Influenced by Cover Crops and Fertilizer Treatments in a Dryland Soybean Production System

“…Soil management practices, reduced tillage, mulching, and organic manures influence soil properties, which play a role in shaping the composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities [89][90][91]. In the study, after 3 years of continuous no-tillage, cover cropping and poultry litter treatment, a decrease in soil pH from 6.67 to ~5.6 over the years, was observed.…”

Soil Mycobiome Diversity under Different Tillage Practices in the South of West Siberia

“…Our study showed that no tillage shifted soil mycobiome composition (species richness) closer to the one in the undisturbed soil under natural vegetation, most likely by altering physicochemical properties of the soil environment [ 63 ], thus expanding the opportunity space [ 57 ] for fungi surviving and thriving. As, by general consensus, species-richer fungal communities or naturally developed communities are regarded as “healthier” [ 64 ] in comparison with agriculturally used ones, our results support the notion that switching the long-term conventional tillage fields to the no-till ones can improve soil health [ 65 ] and ecosystem productivity.…”