Straw is More Effective Than Biochar in Enhancing the Phosphorus Cycle Potential of Saline Soils
摘要
To investigate the impact of applying materials with high and low phosphorus contents on phosphorus availability and the potential of the phosphorus cycle in saline soils. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to investigate the effects of rice straw (RS, low in phosphorus) and biochar (B, high in phosphorus) treatments on phosphorus-cycling microbial communities and functional genes in saline soils, with conventional fertilization (CK1) serving as the control. The application of RS significantly increased soil available phosphorus fractions and NaOH-extractable inorganic phosphorus by 82.69% and 44.49%, respectively, compared to the CK1 and B treatments (P < 0.05). Additionally, only the RS treatment significantly increased soil total nitrogen (TN) and phosphodiesterase (PDEs) activity by 28.38–73.82%, while significantly reducing electrical conductivity (P < 0.05). Although both RS and B treatments altered and enhanced the diversity of phosphorus-cycling microbial communities, only the dominant genus in the RS treatment exhibited significant shifts. Furthermore, genes associated with phosphorus cycling were significantly upregulated exclusively in the RS treatment. These changes were primarily driven by PDE activity and TN levels, highlighting their critical roles in regulating the soil phosphorus cycle. According to the results of the partial least squares path model, changes in the available and refractory phosphorus fractions were mainly driven by phosphorus-cycling enzymes and phosphorus transport-related genes, respectively. The RS treatment represents a more promising strategy than biochar for enhancing the phosphorus-cycling potential of saline soils by altering the microbial community structure involved in phosphorus cycling and upregulating the expression of associated functional genes.