Straw Addition Enhances Crop Yield, Soil Aggregation, and Soil Microorganisms in a 14-Year Wheat–Rice Rotation System in Central China
Bo Liu,
Hao Xia,
Chaoqiang Jiang,
Cuncang Jiang,
Muhammad Riaz,
Li Yang,
Yunfeng Chen,
Xianpeng Fan,
Zhiyi Zhang,
Xiaoli Duan,
Maoqian Wu,
Xiange Xia
Affiliations
Bo Liu
Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Station for Qianjiang Agro-Environment, Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
Hao Xia
Tobacco Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences (AAAS), Hefei 230001, China
Chaoqiang Jiang
Tobacco Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences (AAAS), Hefei 230001, China
Cuncang Jiang
Microelement Research Center, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Muhammad Riaz
College of Resources and Environment, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China
Li Yang
Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Station for Qianjiang Agro-Environment, Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
Yunfeng Chen
Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Station for Qianjiang Agro-Environment, Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
Xianpeng Fan
Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Station for Qianjiang Agro-Environment, Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
Zhiyi Zhang
Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Station for Qianjiang Agro-Environment, Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
Xiaoli Duan
Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Station for Qianjiang Agro-Environment, Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
Maoqian Wu
Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Station for Qianjiang Agro-Environment, Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
Xiange Xia
Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Station for Qianjiang Agro-Environment, Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
Straw return utilizes waste resources to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers worldwide. However, information is still lacking on the relative impact of straw return on soil fertility, the nutrient composition of different soil aggregates, and soil microbial communities. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the effects of different management practices on the crop yield, soil fertility, and soil community composition in a 14-year wheat–rice rotation system. The treatments included a control (without fertilizer and straw addition), chemical fertilization (NPK), straw return without fertilizer (S), and straw addition with chemical fertilizer (NPKS). The results showed that NPKS improved the wheat and rice yield by 185.12% and 88.02%, respectively, compared to the CK treatment. Additionally, compared to the CK treatment, the N, P, and K contents of the wheat stem were increased by 39.02%, 125%, and 20.23% under the NPKS treatment. Compared to the CK treatment, SOM, TN, TP, AN, AP, AK, CEC, AFe, AMn, ACu, and AZn were increased by 49.12%, 32.62%, 35.06%, 22.89%, 129.36%, 48.34%, 13.40%, 133.95%, 58.98%, 18.26% and 33.33% under the NPKS treatment, respectively. Moreover, straw addition promoted the creation and stabilization of macro-aggregates in crop soils. The relative abundance of macro-aggregates (0.25–2 mm) increased from 37.49% to 52.97%. Straw addition was associated with a higher proportion of aromatic and carbonyl carbon groups in the soil, which, in turn, promoted the formation of macro-aggregates. Redundancy analysis showed that straw return significantly increased the microbial community diversity. These findings demonstrate that straw addition together with chemical fertilizer could increase the crop yield by improving soil fertility, soil aggregate stability, and the diversity of fungi.
