Insights into the distribution characteristic of microbiota in alkaline–sandy soil with inorganic and organic fertiliser treatments: contrasting abundance, structure and functionality

ABSTRACT

Fertiliser amendment is the most direct method for improving soil properties of ecologically vulnerable areas (e.g. desertification soil area), and then, understanding the response of microbial community activities and growth to different fertilisation treatments is of great significance in sandy soil restoration. Here, a field experiment with different fertiliser treatments in typical alkaline–sandy soil was conducted. In this study, the difference of physicochemical property, microbial communities and functions in different treatments of no fertiliser (CK), (ii) fly ash chemical fertilisers (CF), (iii) humic straw organic fertiliser (OF), (iv) functional microbial fertiliser (FMF), (v) sulphate-reducing bacterial (SRB) fertiliser (MF) and (vi) humic straw organic fertiliser + functional microbial fertiliser + SRB fertiliser (CMF) were evaluated. The result showed that the contents of soil total organic carbon, NO₃-N, P and K in the FMF were highest. The abundance of keystone taxa (Gemmatimonadetes and Thaumarchaeota) increased significantly in the treatments of microbial fertiliser. Microbial fertiliser boosted genes for aerobic nitrite oxidation, nitrogen fixation, ammonia oxidation and aromatic compound degradation. The number of methylotrophy and dark sulphur oxidation genes was reduced. The bbove results indicated that the treatments with the inoculation of functional microbes are better than the others for the restoration of alkaline–sandy soil.

KEYWORDS:

• Microbial fertiliser
• sulphate-reducing bacteria
• soil microbial community
• microbial function
• alkaline–sandy soil

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This project was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 51974279], the National Key Research & Development Program of China [grant number 2018YFC18018], [grant number 2018YFC18027], GRINM Youth Fund [grant number 12208], which are greatly appreciated.

Notes on contributors

Yupin Zhou

Ms. Yupin Zhou is a master's degree student in metallurgical engineering at the General Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals, Beijing (GRINM), focusing on research in soil remediation.

Zhenghao Yan

Zhenghao Yan is a student at Henan University of Science and Technology with extensive knowledge in soil remediation theory and thesis writing.

Mingjiang Zhang

Prof Mingjiang Zhang is a professorial engineer of GRINM Resources and Environment Tech. Co., Ltd. in Beijing. He is experienced in soil microbial remediation and publishing relevant papers.

Xuezhe Zhu

Xuezhe Zhu is a Ph.D. candidate at Northeastern University specialising in soil remediation and possessing significant expertise in utilising microbial remediation.

Shuangquan Li

Shuangquan Li is a master's student at the General Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals in Beijing, specialising in soil remediation research.

Xiao Yan

Dr Xiao Yan is an engineer at GRINM Resources and Environment Tech. Co., Ltd., Beijing with experience in microbial remediation of distsurbed soils.