Maize growth responses to soil microbes and soil properties after fertilization with different green manures.
The use of green manures in agriculture can provide nutrients, affect soil microbial communities, and be a more sustainable management practice. The activities of soil microbes can effect crop growth, but the extent of this effect on yield remains unclear. We investigated soil bacterial communities and soil properties under four different green manure fertilization regimes (Vicia villosa, common vetch, milk vetch, and radish) and determined the effects of these regimes on maize growth. Milk vetch showed the greatest potential for improving crop productivity and increased maize yield by 31.3 %. This change might be related to changes in soil microbes and soil properties. The entire soil bacterial community and physicochemical properties differed significantly among treatments, and there were significant correlations between soil bacteria, soil properties, and maize yield. In particular, abundance of the phyla Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia was positively correlated with maize yield, while Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi were negatively correlated with yield. These data suggest that the variation of maize yield was related to differences in soil bacteria. The results also indicate that soil pH, alkali solution nitrogen, and available potassium were the key environmental factors shaping soil bacterial communities and determining maize yields. Both soil properties and soil microbes might be useful as indicators of soil quality and potential crop yield.
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.|Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
Jiemeng
J
Tao
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.|Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
Xueduan
X
Liu
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.|Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
Yili
Y
Liang
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.|Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
Jiaojiao
J
Niu
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.|Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
Yunhua
Y
Xiao
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.|Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
Yabing
Y
Gu
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.|Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
Liyuan
L
Ma
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.|Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
Delong
D
Meng
Institute of Forestry Ecology, Environment and Protection, and the Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of State Forestry Administration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China.
Yuguang
Y
Zhang
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
Wenkun
W
Huang
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
Deliang
D
Peng
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China. yinhuaqun_cs@sina.com.|Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China. yinhuaqun_cs@sina.com.
Huaqun
H
Yin
D061271:Acidobacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D018533:Biomass; D041862:Chloroflexi / Q000378:metabolism; D000069599:Crop Production / Q000379:methods; D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D005308:Fertilizers; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000502:physiology; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D031224:Raphanus; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D031306:Vicia; D003313:Zea mays / Q000254:growth & development*
D005308:Fertilizers; D009584:Nitrogen
Bacterial communities; Green manures; Maize yield; Soil physicochemical properties