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An evaluation of a microbial inoculum in promoting organic C decomposition in a paddy soil following straw incorporation

  • Soils, Sec 4 • Ecotoxicology • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Impacts of a commercially available decay-facilitating microbial inoculum on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization were evaluated during decomposition of rice straw in a paddy soil.

Materials and methods

Two incubation experiments were conducted for 105 days with a typical low-yield high-clay soil in central China to monitor effects of straw and the inoculum on CO2 evolution, as well as dissolved organic C (DOC), NH4 +, NO3 −, and pH under conditions of 15 °C 70 %, 25 °C 40 %, 25 °C 70 %, 25 °C 100 %, and 35 °C 70 % of water-holding capacity (WHC) with adequate N, supplied as urea or manure, respectively.

Results and discussion

Treatments of 25 °C 70 % WHC, 25 °C 100 % WHC, and 35 °C 70 % WHC generally achieved significant higher CO2 evolution while treatment of 25 °C 40 % WHC had least. This was more evident with added manure compared to urea (P < 0.05). The inoculum generally increased the decomposition of C inputs and the largest increases were in the initial 28 day in treatments 25 °C 70 % WHC, 25 °C 100 % WHC, and 35 °C 70 % WHC; only the 25 °C 40 % WHC actually immobilized C. The CO2 release rates were positively correlated with DOC, but with different slopes within treatments. Despite equivalent N application rates, manure treatments had significantly less N (including NO3 −, NH4 +, and total dissolved N) than those with urea. Incubation of 25 °C 40 % WHC decreased soil pH the least, probably due to relative low moisture causing delayed nitrification.

Conclusions

The results implied that the inoculum, especially fungi, would adjust to edaphic and N fertilization in regulating organic C mineralization, during which water potential would exhibit a great role in regulating substrate and nutrient availability.

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Acknowledgments

This work was jointly supported by the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (Grant No. 201003016), the National Key Basic Research Development 973 Project (Grant No. 2011CB100502), and the State Science and Technology Support Program (Grant No. 2012BAD15B04).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Subtropical Soil and Plant Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Peng Su, Philip C. Brookes, Yan He, Jianjun Wu & Jianming Xu

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  1. Peng Su
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  2. Philip C. Brookes
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  3. Yan He
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  4. Jianjun Wu
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  5. Jianming Xu
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Correspondence to Philip C. Brookes or Yan He.

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Responsible editor: Qiaoyun Huang

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Su, P., Brookes, P.C., He, Y. et al. An evaluation of a microbial inoculum in promoting organic C decomposition in a paddy soil following straw incorporation. J Soils Sediments 16, 1776–1786 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1340-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1340-y

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