Effects of tillage and biochar on soil physiochemical and microbial properties and its linkage with crop yield

作者：Wenju Chen, Peipei Li, Fang Li, Jingjing Xi, Yanlai Han · 发表于：Frontiers in Microbiology · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.3389/fmicb.2022.929725 · 被引用次数：17 · 研究领域：Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics、Soil and Unsaturated Flow、Clay minerals and soil interactions

Vertisols are clayey soils with a high potential for improving production. Therefore, understanding the impact of tillage and fertilization on soil physicochemical properties and microbial community is essential for improving the vertisols with a high montmorillonite and smectite clay content. A 3-year field experiment was conducted to compare the effects of different tillage and fertilization practices at three depths of the vertisol under the wheat–maize cropping system in the North China Plain. The experimental treatments included rotary tillage without fertilization (R-CK), rotary tillage with chemical nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilization (R-NPK), R-NPK plus biochar (R-NPKB), deep tillage without fertilization (D-CK), deep tillage with chemical N, P, and K fertilization (D-NPK), and D-NPK plus biochar (D-NPKB). The results showed that D-NPKB significantly improved winter wheat and summer maize yields by 14.4 and 3.8%, respectively, compared with R-NPK. The nitrate (NO 3 – –N) content of the deeper soil layer in D-NPKB was significantly higher than that in D-NPK. Meanwhile, biochar application increased the pH in the three layers. Compared with R-NPK, D-NPKB significantly increased the average content of available phosphorus (AP), soil organic carbon (SOC), and total nitrogen (TN) by 73.7, 18.5, and 19.0%, respectively. Meanwhile, Gaiellale , Sphingomonadaceae , and Nocardioidaceae were the predominant bacteria at the family level across all treatm...