Effects of organic fertilizers on plant growth and the rhizosphere microbiome

Yitian Yu, Qi Zhang, Jian Kang, Nuohan Xu, Zhenyan Zhang, Yu Deng, Michael Gillings, Tao Lu*, Haifeng Qian*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Application of organic fertilizers is an important strategy for sustainable agriculture. The biological source of organic fertilizers determines their specific functional characteristics, but few studies have systematically examined these functions or assessed their health risk to soil ecology. To fill this gap, we analyzed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing data from 637 soil samples amended with plant- and animal-derived organic fertilizers (hereafter plant fertilizers and animal fertilizers). Results showed that animal fertilizers increased the diversity of soil microbiome, while plant fertilizers maintained the stability of soil microbial community. Microcosm experiments verified that plant fertilizers were beneficial to plant root development and increased carbon cycle pathways, while animal fertilizers enriched nitrogen cycle pathways. Compared with animal fertilizers, plant fertilizers harbored a lower abundance of risk factors such as antibiotic resistance genes and viruses. Consequently, plant fertilizers might be more suitable for long-term application in agriculture. This work provides a guide for organic fertilizer selection from the perspective of soil microecology and promotes sustainable development of organic agriculture.

IMPORTANCE: This study provides valuable guidance for use of organic fertilizers in agricultural production from the perspective of the microbiome and ecological risk.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-14
Number of pages14
JournalApplied and Environmental Microbiology
Volume90
Issue number2
Early online date9 Jan 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2024

Keywords

  • antibiotic resistance genes
  • metadata analysis
  • metagenomics
  • rhizosphere microbiome
  • soil planet health

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