Impacts of Biochar-Based Controlled-Release Nitrogen Fertilizers on Soil Prokaryotic and Fungal Communities
Controlled-release Nitrogen Fertilizers (CRNFs) are an effective fertilization technique by minimizing nutrient loss and making Nitrogen (N) available to plants as they grow. Biochar-based CRNF (BCRNF) technologies have been demonstrated very promising in increase of corn yield. Despite the benefici...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/10/1706 |
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| author | Bikram K. Das Robiul Islam Rubel Surbhi Gupta Yajun Wu Lin Wei Volker S. Brözel |
| author_facet | Bikram K. Das Robiul Islam Rubel Surbhi Gupta Yajun Wu Lin Wei Volker S. Brözel |
| author_sort | Bikram K. Das |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Controlled-release Nitrogen Fertilizers (CRNFs) are an effective fertilization technique by minimizing nutrient loss and making Nitrogen (N) available to plants as they grow. Biochar-based CRNF (BCRNF) technologies have been demonstrated very promising in increase of corn yield. Despite the beneficial effects of BCRNFs, their impacts on prokaryotic and fungal soil communities are not well evaluated. Different formulations of BCRNF were developed to investigate their effects on corn productivity. We analyzed the soil microbes and their functional potential under different BCRNF regimes using amplified V<sub>3</sub>–V<sub>4</sub> region of 16s rRNA for determining prokaryotic, and ITS genes for fungal communities. The soil prokaryotic diversity was similar across the treatments, with differences in prokaryotic genera with relative abundance of 0.1% or less in the soil (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In contrast, the fungal community diversity was different only for unfertilized soil. It had a high relative abundance for <i>Aspergillus</i>. Genus level comparison showed that Pseudofabraea was higher in Bioasphalt-based BCRNF compared to other treatments. Moreover, the N-fixing communities in soil were also similar across the treatments. At genus level, <i>Microvirga</i>, <i>Azospirillum</i>, and <i>Methyloprofundus</i> were highest in no-fertilizer control. The functional potential predictions using PICRUSt2 portrayed a consistent N-cycling functions across the treatments. However, the predicted gene functions related to nitrous-oxide reductase (<i>nosZ</i>) and hydroxylamine reductase (<i>hcp</i>) were significantly lower in soil receiving BCRNF containing biosolid. Overall, BCRNF treatments previously identified to increase corn yield displayed minimal shifts in the soil microbial communities. Thus, such novel fertilization would enable increased crop yield without affecting soil communities leading to sustainable crop production. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:55:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-de52e917700c487fa2fab89a0ef33c39 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:55:55Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-de52e917700c487fa2fab89a0ef33c392023-11-23T22:22:48ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722022-10-011210170610.3390/agriculture12101706Impacts of Biochar-Based Controlled-Release Nitrogen Fertilizers on Soil Prokaryotic and Fungal CommunitiesBikram K. Das0Robiul Islam Rubel1Surbhi Gupta2Yajun Wu3Lin Wei4Volker S. Brözel5Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USADepartment of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USADepartment of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USADepartment of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USADepartment of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USADepartment of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USAControlled-release Nitrogen Fertilizers (CRNFs) are an effective fertilization technique by minimizing nutrient loss and making Nitrogen (N) available to plants as they grow. Biochar-based CRNF (BCRNF) technologies have been demonstrated very promising in increase of corn yield. Despite the beneficial effects of BCRNFs, their impacts on prokaryotic and fungal soil communities are not well evaluated. Different formulations of BCRNF were developed to investigate their effects on corn productivity. We analyzed the soil microbes and their functional potential under different BCRNF regimes using amplified V<sub>3</sub>–V<sub>4</sub> region of 16s rRNA for determining prokaryotic, and ITS genes for fungal communities. The soil prokaryotic diversity was similar across the treatments, with differences in prokaryotic genera with relative abundance of 0.1% or less in the soil (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In contrast, the fungal community diversity was different only for unfertilized soil. It had a high relative abundance for <i>Aspergillus</i>. Genus level comparison showed that Pseudofabraea was higher in Bioasphalt-based BCRNF compared to other treatments. Moreover, the N-fixing communities in soil were also similar across the treatments. At genus level, <i>Microvirga</i>, <i>Azospirillum</i>, and <i>Methyloprofundus</i> were highest in no-fertilizer control. The functional potential predictions using PICRUSt2 portrayed a consistent N-cycling functions across the treatments. However, the predicted gene functions related to nitrous-oxide reductase (<i>nosZ</i>) and hydroxylamine reductase (<i>hcp</i>) were significantly lower in soil receiving BCRNF containing biosolid. Overall, BCRNF treatments previously identified to increase corn yield displayed minimal shifts in the soil microbial communities. Thus, such novel fertilization would enable increased crop yield without affecting soil communities leading to sustainable crop production.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/10/1706Nitrogencontrolled-release fertilizerbiocharcornsoil microbiomemicrobial functions |
| spellingShingle | Bikram K. Das Robiul Islam Rubel Surbhi Gupta Yajun Wu Lin Wei Volker S. Brözel Impacts of Biochar-Based Controlled-Release Nitrogen Fertilizers on Soil Prokaryotic and Fungal Communities Agriculture Nitrogen controlled-release fertilizer biochar corn soil microbiome microbial functions |
| title | Impacts of Biochar-Based Controlled-Release Nitrogen Fertilizers on Soil Prokaryotic and Fungal Communities |
| title_full | Impacts of Biochar-Based Controlled-Release Nitrogen Fertilizers on Soil Prokaryotic and Fungal Communities |
| title_fullStr | Impacts of Biochar-Based Controlled-Release Nitrogen Fertilizers on Soil Prokaryotic and Fungal Communities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impacts of Biochar-Based Controlled-Release Nitrogen Fertilizers on Soil Prokaryotic and Fungal Communities |
| title_short | Impacts of Biochar-Based Controlled-Release Nitrogen Fertilizers on Soil Prokaryotic and Fungal Communities |
| title_sort | impacts of biochar based controlled release nitrogen fertilizers on soil prokaryotic and fungal communities |
| topic | Nitrogen controlled-release fertilizer biochar corn soil microbiome microbial functions |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/10/1706 |
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