Higher rates of nitrogen fertilization decrease soil enzyme activities, microbial functional diversity and nitrification capacity in a Chinese polytunnel greenhouse vegetable land

Authors

Weishou Shen, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiangui Lin, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Weiming Shi, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ju Min, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Nan Gao, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Huayong Zhang, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Rui Yin, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xinhua He, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2010

Department

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Abstract

Little is known about effects of high nitrogen (N) fertilization on soil chemical properties, enzyme and microbial activities involved in N and C transformation. Soil EC, pH, mineral N, three enzyme activities, nitrification capacity, and microbial functional diversity were evaluated under conventional N rate (270 or 300 kg N ha-1 season-1, N4), 80% (N3), 60% (N2), 40% (N1) and 0% (N0) of N4 during a 2-year cucumber/tomato rotation in polytunnel greenhouse lands in Eastern China. Soil EC, NH4+-N and NO3--N were significantly increased, whilst pH, activities of dehydrogenase, urease and neutral phosphatase, nitrification capacity, and microbial functional diversity decreased significantly with N application rate. Microbial diversity indices deducted from the C-source utilization pattern were significantly lower under the highest N4 rate in the same vegetable season, but varied with seasons among N rates. Both principal component analysis and C substrate utilization patterns displayed significant separation of soil microbial communities between the higher N4 or N3 and the lower N0, N1 and N2 rates. Our results indicated that a 40% reduction of the conventional N fertilization rate was practical to reduce excess N input while maintaining the sustainability of such greenhouse-based intensive vegetable systems in China's Yangtze River Delta.

Publication Title

Plant and Soil

Recommended Citation

Shen, W., Lin, X., Shi, W., Min, J., Gao, N., Zhang, H., Yin, R., & He, X. (2010). Higher rates of nitrogen fertilization decrease soil enzyme activities, microbial functional diversity and nitrification capacity in a Chinese polytunnel greenhouse vegetable land. Plant and Soil, 337(1), 137-150. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0511-2
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