A High Proportion of Milk Vetch-Rice Straw Co-Incorporation Enhances Soil C-N Cycling and Modulates Microbial Community Structure
摘要
To determine the optimal rice straw (ST) and milk vetch (VET) green manure ratio for enhancing soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling efficiency, and to assess their impacts on soil fertility and microbial dynamics. A field experiment tested ST: VET ratios (1:0, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 0:1). Soil total C (TC), total N (TN), and microbial communities (16 S rRNA and ITS rRNA gene sequencing) were analyzed at 0, 7, 24, 55 and 97 days. Principal component analysis, PICRUSt functional prediction, and statistical tests evaluated C-N cycling dynamics and microbial community shifts. ST caused 17% TN loss, while VET-dominant treatments increased TN (+ 2–5%) and reduced C/N ratios (8.8-9.0). TC showed triphasic changes, with ST retaining highest residual TC but worsening C/N imbalance. ST enriched Acidobacteriota (+ 60%) and Actinobacteriota (+ 71%), whereas VET promoted Gammaproteobacteria (+ 17%) and Ascomycota (+ 121% in mixed treatments). Microbial succession aligned with substrate C/N ratios. Combining rice straw with milk vetch (> 1:1 ratio) optimizes soil C-N cycling by balancing microbial succession and substrate C/N ratios, while mitigating nitrogen loss.
Graphical Abstract