Soil microbial communities following 20 years of fertilization and crop rotation practices in the Czech Republic

Martina Kracmarova; Ondrej Uhlik; Michal Strejcek; Jirina Szakova; Jindrich Cerny; Jiri Balik; Pavel Tlustos; Petr Kohout; Katerina Demnerova; Hana Stiborova

doi:10.1186/s40793-022-00406-4

Soil microbial communities following 20 years of fertilization and crop rotation practices in the Czech Republic

Environ Microbiome. 2022 Mar 28;17(1):13. doi: 10.1186/s40793-022-00406-4.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Technicka 3, 166 28, Prague 6, Czech Republic. kracma.mk@gmail.com.
² Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Technicka 3, 166 28, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
³ Department of Agro-Environmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamycka 129, 165 21, Prague - Suchdol, Czech Republic.
⁴ Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the CAS, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Praha 4, Czech Republic.
⁵ Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vinicna 5, 128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic.
⁶ Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Technicka 3, 166 28, Prague 6, Czech Republic. hana.stiborova@vscht.cz.

Abstract

Background: Although fertilization and crop rotation practices are commonly used worldwide in agriculture to maximize crop yields, their long-term effect on the structures of soil microorganisms is still poorly understood. This study investigated the long-term impact of fertilization and crop rotation on soil microbial diversity and the microbial community structure in four different locations with three soil types. Since 1996, manure (MF; 330 kg N/ha), sewage sludge (SF; 330 and SF3x; 990 kg N/ha), and NPK (NPK; 330 kg N/ha) fertilizers were periodically applied to the soils classified as chernozem, luvisol and cambisol, which are among the most abundant or fertile soils used for agricultural purposes in the world. In these soils, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) were rotated every three years.

Results: Soil chemistry, which was significantly associated with location, fertilization, crop rotation, and the interaction of fertilization and location, was the dominant driver of soil microbial communities, both prokaryotic and fungal. A direct effect of long-term crop rotation and fertilization on the structure of their communities was confirmed, although there was no evidence of their influence on microbial diversity. Fungal and bacterial communities responded differently to fertilization treatments; prokaryotic communities were only significantly different from the control soil (CF) in soils treated with MF and SF3x, while fungal communities differed across all treatments. Indicator genera were identified for different treatments. These taxa were either specific for their decomposition activities or fungal plant pathogens. Sequential rotation of the three crops restricted the growth of several of the indicator plant pathogens.

Conclusions: Long-term fertilization and crop rotation significantly altered microbial community structure in the soil. While fertilization affected soil microorganisms mainly through changes in nutrient profile, crop rotations lead to the attraction and repulsion of specific plant pathogens. Such changes in soil microbial communities need to be considered when planning soil management.

Keywords: Cambisol; Chernozem; Community structure; Luvisol; Manure; Microbial diversity; NPK fertilizers; Sewage sludge.

Abstract

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