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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.

Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1563124

This article is part of the Research Topic Advancements in Synthetic Microbiomes for Enhancing Animal Health View all 8 articles

Impact of Different Concentrations of Biogas Slurry as a Fertilizer Substitute on the Structure and Gene Distribution of Microbial Communities in oilseed rape Soil

Provisionally accepted
Xue Yang Xue Yang 1Kai Zhang Kai Zhang 2Yaying Chen Yaying Chen 3Cancai Zheng Cancai Zheng 4Chunlong Lei Chunlong Lei 3Xiaoqin Song Xiaoqin Song 5Wen Bin Wen Bin 2Xin Yuan Xin Yuan 6Hanyang Liu Hanyang Liu 3*Jiawen Zhu Jiawen Zhu 3*
  • 1 Chengdu Agriculture And Forestry Academy Of Sciences, Chengdu, China
  • 2 Sichuan Academy of Grassland Science, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 3 Chengdu Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 4 Sichuan Provincial Planning and Construction Service Center, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 5 Dayi County Agriculture and Rural Bureau, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 6 Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China

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

    Application of biogas slurry (BS) in paddy fields offers a sustainable approach to reducing environmental risks while efficiently utilizing nutrients from biogas residues. However, BS may harbor animal gut microorganisms and associated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) arising from antibiotic use during livestock breeding, potentially facilitating the spread of resistance genes in soil ecosystems. In this two-year field study, we investigated the effects of replacing chemical fertilizers with different proportions of BS on the microbial communities in oilseed rape soils. Soil bacterial community diversity and composition were systematically evaluated using Illumina MiSeq high throughput sequencing, focusing on interrelationships and changes at the genetic level. The predominant bacterial phyla identified were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, with no significant differences observed at the phylum or species level across treatment groups. Overall microbial diversity and community structure remained largely stable. Dimensionality reduction analysis further revealed only minor variations in the abundance of ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and metal resistance genes (MRGs) among treatments. These findings suggest that, in the short term, substituting chemical fertilizers with BS has minimal effects on soil microbial community structure and resistance gene dynamics. This study highlights the potential of BS as a viable alternative to chemical fertilizers, contributing to reduced environmental risks in agriculture. Future research should investigate the longterm ecological safety of BS under different soil types and management practices to comprehensively evaluate its sustainability in agricultural systems.

    Keywords: soil microorganisms, oilseed rape, sustainable agriculture, Fertilizer replacement, antibiotic resistance genes

    Received: 19 Jan 2025; Accepted: 07 Mar 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Zhang, Chen, Zheng, Lei, Song, Bin, Yuan, Liu and Zhu. 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:
    Hanyang Liu, Chengdu Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
    Jiawen Zhu, Chengdu Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, 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.

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