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Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Author ORCID Identifier

WEI YANG: 0009-0002-0659-2660

QIYUAN ZHANG: 0009-0007-9968-4121

HONGYU CAI: 0009-0003-5402-9570

TIANHANG BAI: 0009-0006-3755-0016

XUEJIAO REN: 0009-0002-5350-0554

DOI

10.55730/1300-011X.3235

Abstract

In agroecosystems, interactions between maize root systems and soil microbes have significant effects on soil health and plant yield. In order to quantitatively assess the impact of this mutualism, the study used field experiments and soil analysis methods to analyze the effects of different sludge applications on soil physicochemical properties and microbial activity. The experiments were studied in a controlled trial with different sludge treatment gradients. The results showed that the sludge-applied soil exhibited positive changes in structure and biological activity compared to the control. The mass fraction of soil macro-aggregates increased after sludge treatment, from 48.9% to 51.1% after application of the highest treatment gradient. Infrared spectral analysis reflected an enhancement in the intensity of the absorption peak of hydroxyl functional groups at 3617 cm^-1, and this enhancement was particularly significant at the 150 t/ha treatment rate. Further analysis showed that the changes in microbial activity varied among soil aggregates of different sizes, with a mild enhancement of microbial activity in aggregates of 0.25-2 mm and a significant enhancement of microbial activity in aggregates larger than 2 mm. The proportion of Gram-positive bacteria and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi was higher in macro-aggregates than in micro-aggregates, and the difference was significant (P<0.05). Soil treatments with the addition of maize residues did not induce a significant distinction in microbial composition between macro-aggregates and micro-aggregates, implying that the response of soil microorganisms to root additions was predominantly non-selective. The trend of microbial assimilation of carbon in low fertility soils after addition of maize roots was similar to that of high fertility soils, and a peak was observed at day 60 with significant variation among time points. The findings of the study have important practical implications for promoting the scientific development of soil management strategies and optimizing maize production practices.

Keywords

Maize root system, soil microorganisms, mutualistic mechanisms, soil health, crop yield

First Page

991

Last Page

1003

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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