Persistence and off-target effects of three BNIs in two contrasting soils Raw sequence reads
Nitrification inhibition through synthetic compounds is already a strategy used in agricultural soils to reduce nitrogen (N) fertilizer losses and increase soil N availability. However, their variable efficacy across different soil types, along with the potential human health risks associated with some of these compounds, has driven a shift toward natural and sustainable alternatives. Plant-based compounds have been shown to inhibit nitrification, leading to increased efforts to identify new natural compounds. Generally, their suitability is assessed by their ability to reduce N losses; however, few studies have evaluated their persistence and specificity in agricultural soils. In this study, we investigated the persistence and off-target effects of three biological nitrification inhibitors (BNIs) in two contrasting agricultural soils. Our results show that the BNI, of 6-methoxy-2(3H)-benzoxazolone (MBOA) exhibited relatively high efficacy, long persistence, and comparatively few off-target effects, highlighting the importance of evaluating the overall ecological impacts of BNI application when determining their suitability. Sequencing was performed at the Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna under the project ID JMF-2411-07.