Impacts of Biochar-Based Controlled-Release Nitrogen Fertilizers on Soil Prokaryotic and Fungal Communities

Bikram K. Das, Robiul Islam Rubel, Surbhi Gupta, Yajun Wu, Lin Wei and Volker S. Brözel ()
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Bikram K. Das: Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Robiul Islam Rubel: Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Surbhi Gupta: Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Yajun Wu: Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Lin Wei: Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Volker S. Brözel: Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: 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 3 –V 4 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 ( p < 0.05). In contrast, the fungal community diversity was different only for unfertilized soil. It had a high relative abundance for Aspergillus . 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, Microvirga , Azospirillum , and Methyloprofundus 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 ( nosZ ) and hydroxylamine reductase ( hcp ) 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.

Keywords: Nitrogen; controlled-release fertilizer; biochar; corn; soil microbiome; microbial functions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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