Long-term manure and mineral fertilisation drive distinct pathways of soil organic nitrogen decomposition: Insights from a 180-year-old study

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Pan, W., Tang, S., Zhou, J., Wanek, W., Gregory, A. S., Ge, T., Marsden, K. A., Chadwick, D. R., Liang, Y., Wu, L., Ma, Q. and Jones, D. L. 2025. Long-term manure and mineral fertilisation drive distinct pathways of soil organic nitrogen decomposition: Insights from a 180-year-old study. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 207 (August), p. 109840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109840

AuthorsPan, W., Tang, S., Zhou, J., Wanek, W., Gregory, A. S., Ge, T., Marsden, K. A., Chadwick, D. R., Liang, Y., Wu, L., Ma, Q. and Jones, D. L.
Abstract

Soil organic nitrogen (SON) decomposition is a fundamental process in the nitrogen (N) cycle that influences N
availability for plant uptake and soil health. However, the long-term effects of nutrient fertilisation on SON decomposition and its microbial drivers remain poorly understood. Here, we used the 180-year-old Broadbalk Winter Wheat Experiment to investigate how farmyard manure (FYM), mineral fertiliser (NPK), and no fertilisation input (NIL) affect crop yield, SON turnover, microbial community composition, and functional genes. Our findings showed that distinct and complementary microbial mechanisms regulate SON decomposition under different nutrient fertilisation treatments. FYM application increased gross N mineralisation to 43.1 mg N kg− 1 soil d− 1, by doubling microbial biomass and promoting bacterial-dominated protein and peptide decomposition. During the early stage of decomposition, CO2 release from protein and peptide turnover under FYM increased by 96 % and 44 %, respectively, compared to NIL. NPK fertilisation enhanced the decomposition of complex N compounds and promoted the turnover of high-molecular-weight N to support microbial growth by upregulating N-cycling genes and extracellular enzyme production. The carbon use efficiency of protein was increased to 0.68. NPK fertilisation also stimulated fungal and Actinobacteria populations, accelerating the turnover rate of peptides and amino acids to 22.7 and 2.4 mg N kg− 1 soil d− 1, respectively. These results provide new insights into how nutrient fertilisation practices affect microbialy-mediated N dynamics and crop productivity, emphasising the importance of microbial functional diversity in supporting soil N cycling and fertility.

KeywordsLong-term nutrient fertilisation; Crop yield 14C-labelling; Organic nitrogen decomposition; Microbial community composition
Year of Publication2025
JournalSoil Biology and Biochemistry
Journal citation207 (August), p. 109840
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109840
Open accessPublished as non-open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
National Key Technologies R&D Program of China
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Funder project or codeBBSRC National Bioscience Research Infrastructure: Rothamsted Long-Term Experiments
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online03 May 2025
Publication process dates
Accepted26 Apr 2025
PublisherElsevier
ISSN0038-0717

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