Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Soil Microbial Functional Diversity and Extracellular Enzyme Activities in Greenhouse Cucumber Cultivation

Zhen Wang, Shuang Wang, Ting Bian, Qiaobo Song, Guorui Wu, Muhammad Awais, Yufeng Liu, Hongdan Fu () and Zhouping Sun ()
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Zhen Wang: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Shuang Wang: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Ting Bian: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Qiaobo Song: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Guorui Wu: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Muhammad Awais: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Yufeng Liu: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Hongdan Fu: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Zhouping Sun: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: Greenhouses, commonly used for vegetable production, are experiencing large nitrogen (N) inputs in North China, which leads to soil acidification, increases soil N availability, and affects microbial community structure and composition. However, it remains unclear how N enrichment influences soil microbial functional activities in this region. In this study, we conducted a two-year pot experiment in a greenhouse to evaluate the effects of four different rates of N addition (0, 334, 668, and 1002 kg N ha −1 year −1 ) on cucumber soil properties, extracellular enzyme activities, and community level physiological profiles (CLPP). We found that high-N addition (1002 kg N ha −1 ) caused a massive accumulation of inorganic nitrogen and soil acidification, which was not beneficial to soil microbial activities. The color development (AWCD) values for the metabolism of microbial carbon sources and the activities of soil extracellular enzymes also showed a significant decrease in high N(N3) treatment. Additionally, the activity of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) of N3 decreased by 36% and 50% compared to the N0 and could be a good predictor for microbial functional diversity and microbial biomass carbon (MBC). Structural equation modeling (SEM) confirmed that the reduction of microbial functional diversity is mainly coregulated by the decline of soil pH and the change of cucumber BGB (belowground biomass) resulting from soil C and N imbalance. Overall, excessive N-fertilizer amendment can be more dangerous to microbial community functional diversity, especially for carbohydrate utilization which adversely affects cucumber yield in current intensive management.

Keywords: nitrogen fertilization; soil acidification; community level physiological profiles (CLPP); extracellular enzyme activity; microbial functional characteristics; structural equation model (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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