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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbe and Virus Interactions with Plants
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1506155

Nitrogen Fertilizer Basal-to-Top-Dressing Ratios Alter the Characteristics of Maize Straw Decomposition, Soil Carbon and Nitrogen, and Bacterial Community Structure in Different Soil Textures on the North China Plain

Provisionally accepted
Jingyu Li Jingyu Li 1Xiaonan Yang Xiaonan Yang 1*Rui Hou Rui Hou 1*Yujie Ma Yujie Ma 1*Yanqun Wang Yanqun Wang 1*Mingxin Men Mingxin Men 1*Ma Yang Ma Yang 1Wenchao Zhen Wenchao Zhen 1Huang Yuanyuan Huang Yuanyuan 2Xin Fu Xin Fu 1*Zhengping Peng Zhengping Peng 1*
  • 1 Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
  • 2 Hebei Academy of sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Straw return is a recognized agricultural practice that improves soil quality, reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers, and supports sustainable agriculture. Its effectiveness is influenced by microbial changes under varying soil properties and fertilization practices. In a wheat-maize rotation system, field experiments were conducted over two years in loam and clay loam soils with five fertilizer(N) application treatments (i.e., no N fertilizer(N0) and N fertilizer basal-to-top-dressing ratios of 3:7(N3:7), 4:6(N4:6), 5:5(N5:5), and 6:4(N6:4)) to investigate the dynamics of maize straw decomposition, changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations, soil bacterial diversity and abundance, and their interactions. Our results showed that the optimization of N fertilizer basal-to-top-dressing ratios enhanced SOC and TN by accelerating maize straw decomposition and nutrient release, as well as increasing plant carbon and nitrogen inputs. At the wheat maturity stage, the decomposition rate of maize straw reached 69.48%-75.04%. The N4:6 and N5:5 ratios exhibited higher decomposition rates and C and N release rates in both soil textures. Compared to N0, N application treatments increased SOC and TN concentrations by 7.90%-14.17% and 7.94%-33.60%, respectively. The effects were most pronounced with the N4:6 ratio in loam and the N5:5 ratio in clay loam. Both soil textures had the same dominant bacterial phyla, but species abundance differed significantly. Loam had a significantly higher relative abundance of Proteobacteria and lower relative abundances of Gemmatimonadetes, Actinobacteria, and Chloroflexi compared to clay loam. N application significantly influenced bacterial diversity, with higher diversity observed with the N4:6 ratio in loam and the N5:5 ratio in clay loam. Structural equation modeling indicated that different N application treatments in loam influenced maize straw decomposition by altering the soil C/N ratio and bacterial community diversity, while in clay loam, N application treatments influenced maize straw decomposition mainly by altering the soil C/N ratio. Overall, the N4:6 treatment in loam and the N5:5 treatment in clay loam accelerated the decomposition and nutrient release of maize straw, enhanced SOC, TN, and bacterial community abundance, and provided a scientific basis for efficient straw utilization and sustainable agricultural development in the North China Plain region.

    Keywords: loam and clay loam, N fertilizer basal-to-top-dressing ratios, Maize straw decomposition, SOC, TN, soil microbial diversity 1

    Received: 04 Oct 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Li, Yang, Hou, Ma, Wang, Men, Yang, Zhen, Yuanyuan, Fu and Peng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xiaonan Yang, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
    Rui Hou, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
    Yujie Ma, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
    Yanqun Wang, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
    Mingxin Men, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
    Xin Fu, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
    Zhengping Peng, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.