# The application of varying amount of green manure combined with nitrogen fertilizer altered the soil bacterial community and rice yield in karst paddy areas

## TL;DR

Adding green manure and nitrogen fertilizer in karst paddy fields boosts rice yield and changes soil bacteria, improving soil fertility and nutrient use.

## Contribution

This study reveals how varying green manure and nitrogen fertilizer inputs alter soil bacterial communities and rice yield in karst paddy areas.

## Key findings

- Increasing green manure input raised rice yield by 15.51–35% compared to no treatment.
- Soil nutrients like TN, AN, AK, and AP increased with more green manure in the no N addition group.
- N fertilizer addition shifted keystone bacteria from N-fixing to roles in nitrification and denitrification.

## Abstract

Long-term application of green manure (GM) and nitrogen (N) fertilizers markedly improved soil fertility and boosted rice yield in ecologically fragile karst paddy fields. However, the precise response mechanisms of the soil bacterial community to varying amounts of green manure alone and in combination with N fertilizer in such environments remain poorly elucidated. In this study, we investigated the soil bacterial communities, keystone taxa, and their relationship with soil environmental variables across eight fertilization treatments. These treatments included group without N addition (N0M0, no N fertilizer and no GM; N0M22.5, 22.5 t/ha GM; N0M45, 45 t/ha GM, N0M67.5, 67.5 t/ha GM) and group with N addition (NM0, N fertilizer and no GM; NM22.5, N fertilizer and 22.5 t/ha GM; NM45, N fertilizer and 45 t/ha GM; NM67.5, N fertilizer and 67.5 t/ha GM). The results revealed that increasing green manure input significantly boosted rice yield by 15.51–22.08% and 21.84–35% in both the group without and with N addition, respectively, compared to N0M0 treatment. Moreover, with escalating green manure input, soil TN, AN, AK, and AP showed an increasing trend in the group without N addition. However, following the addition of N fertilizer, TN and AN content initially rose, followed by a decline due to the enhanced nutrient availability for rice. Furthermore, the application of a large amount of N fertilizer decreased the C: N ratio in the soil, resulting in significant changes in both the soil microbial community and its function. Particularly noteworthy was the transition of keystone taxa from their original roles as N-fixing and carbon-degrading groups (oligotrophs) to roles in carbon degradation (copiotrophs), nitrification, and denitrification. This shift in soil community and function might serve as a primary factor contributing to enhanced nutrient utilization efficiency in rice, thus significantly promoting rice yield.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-024-05351-7.