Long-term application of cattle manure alters functional N cycling genes and improves maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency

Using livestock manure as organic fertilizer on farmlands has resulted in increased crop yields in many areas; however, the impact of long-term manure application on N cycling microorganisms and their effect on nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) associated with increased maize yield remains uncle...

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Main Authors: Yansheng Li, Muqing Liu, Zhenhua Yu, Changkai Liu, Xiaojing Hu, Junjie Liu, Jian Jin, Yuan Chen, Xingyi Zhang, Guanghua Wang, Xiaobing Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Geoderma
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002368
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author Yansheng Li
Muqing Liu
Zhenhua Yu
Changkai Liu
Xiaojing Hu
Junjie Liu
Jian Jin
Yuan Chen
Xingyi Zhang
Guanghua Wang
Xiaobing Liu
author_facet Yansheng Li
Muqing Liu
Zhenhua Yu
Changkai Liu
Xiaojing Hu
Junjie Liu
Jian Jin
Yuan Chen
Xingyi Zhang
Guanghua Wang
Xiaobing Liu
author_sort Yansheng Li
collection DOAJ
description Using livestock manure as organic fertilizer on farmlands has resulted in increased crop yields in many areas; however, the impact of long-term manure application on N cycling microorganisms and their effect on nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) associated with increased maize yield remains unclear. In this study, a long-term field trial was performed to compare four fertilization regimes: no fertilizer (CK), conventional synthetic fertilizer (CF), CF with 15 Mg ha−1 (FM1) and 30 Mg ha−1 (FM2) of dry-weight cattle manure, applied annually. After 10 and 12 years, FM1 and FM2 significantly boosted maize yield, especially after cycles of soybean–maize rotation, and improved NUE by 19–33 % and 17–53 %, respectively, compared with CF, with a positive correlation with increases in yield. Principal coordinate analysis showed that different fertilizer regimes were partitioned into four groups of N-related microbial communities. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria were the main phyla involved in N cycling. Among the genes involved in N cycling, gdhA, narB, nasD, norB, napA, nirB, nifA and hao demonstrated significant correlations with both plant N uptake and NUE. The insignificant differences between FM1 and FM2 in the relative abundance of most N genes in 2021 and 2023 helped to explain the similar crop outcomes between these two treatments. Compared with FM1, FM2 had a higher relative abundance of narG and a smaller size of constructed metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs).
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series Geoderma
spelling doaj-art-93e0636a1b8a4ac4a913e878b52c61042025-08-20T04:00:34ZengElsevierGeoderma1872-62592025-08-0146011739810.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117398Long-term application of cattle manure alters functional N cycling genes and improves maize yield and nitrogen use efficiencyYansheng Li0Muqing Liu1Zhenhua Yu2Changkai Liu3Xiaojing Hu4Junjie Liu5Jian Jin6Yuan Chen7Xingyi Zhang8Guanghua Wang9Xiaobing Liu10State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 138 Haping Road, Harbin 150081, ChinaJilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun 130118, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 138 Haping Road, Harbin 150081, China; Corresponding author.State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 138 Haping Road, Harbin 150081, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 138 Haping Road, Harbin 150081, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 138 Haping Road, Harbin 150081, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 138 Haping Road, Harbin 150081, China; La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food, Department of Ecological, Plant and Animal Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic 3086, AustraliaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 138 Haping Road, Harbin 150081, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 138 Haping Road, Harbin 150081, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 138 Haping Road, Harbin 150081, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 138 Haping Road, Harbin 150081, ChinaUsing livestock manure as organic fertilizer on farmlands has resulted in increased crop yields in many areas; however, the impact of long-term manure application on N cycling microorganisms and their effect on nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) associated with increased maize yield remains unclear. In this study, a long-term field trial was performed to compare four fertilization regimes: no fertilizer (CK), conventional synthetic fertilizer (CF), CF with 15 Mg ha−1 (FM1) and 30 Mg ha−1 (FM2) of dry-weight cattle manure, applied annually. After 10 and 12 years, FM1 and FM2 significantly boosted maize yield, especially after cycles of soybean–maize rotation, and improved NUE by 19–33 % and 17–53 %, respectively, compared with CF, with a positive correlation with increases in yield. Principal coordinate analysis showed that different fertilizer regimes were partitioned into four groups of N-related microbial communities. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria were the main phyla involved in N cycling. Among the genes involved in N cycling, gdhA, narB, nasD, norB, napA, nirB, nifA and hao demonstrated significant correlations with both plant N uptake and NUE. The insignificant differences between FM1 and FM2 in the relative abundance of most N genes in 2021 and 2023 helped to explain the similar crop outcomes between these two treatments. Compared with FM1, FM2 had a higher relative abundance of narG and a smaller size of constructed metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs).http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002368NUESoil fertilitySoil microbial communityTillage practiceCrop yield
spellingShingle Yansheng Li
Muqing Liu
Zhenhua Yu
Changkai Liu
Xiaojing Hu
Junjie Liu
Jian Jin
Yuan Chen
Xingyi Zhang
Guanghua Wang
Xiaobing Liu
Long-term application of cattle manure alters functional N cycling genes and improves maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency
Geoderma
NUE
Soil fertility
Soil microbial community
Tillage practice
Crop yield
title Long-term application of cattle manure alters functional N cycling genes and improves maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency
title_full Long-term application of cattle manure alters functional N cycling genes and improves maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency
title_fullStr Long-term application of cattle manure alters functional N cycling genes and improves maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency
title_full_unstemmed Long-term application of cattle manure alters functional N cycling genes and improves maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency
title_short Long-term application of cattle manure alters functional N cycling genes and improves maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency
title_sort long term application of cattle manure alters functional n cycling genes and improves maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency
topic NUE
Soil fertility
Soil microbial community
Tillage practice
Crop yield
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002368
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