Lower soil nitrogen-oxide emissions associated with enhanced denitrification under replacing mineral fertilizer with manure in orchard soils.

Emerging evidence suggests that replacing mineral fertilizers with organic livestock manure can effectively suppress reactive gaseous nitrogen (N) emissions from soils. However, the extent of this mitigation potential and the underlying microbial mechanisms in orchards remain unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we measured nitrous and nitric oxide (NO and NO) emissions, microbial N cycling gene abundance, and NO isotopomer ratios in pear and citrus orchards under three different fertilization regimes: no fertilization, mineral fertilizer, and manure plus mineral fertilizer.

Substitution of organic and bio-organic fertilizers for mineral fertilizers to suppress nitrous oxide emissions from intensive vegetable fields.

To gain insight into the microbial mechanisms associated with the replacement of chemical fertilizers with organic or bio-organic fertilizers to mitigate soil nitrous oxide (NO) emissions, we measured NO emissions from greenhouse vegetable soils through field observations and pot experiments. Results showed that organic substitution suppressed NO emissions by reducing soil mineral N content and stimulating the abundance of the nosZII gene. The trade-off effect of bio-organic substitution on NO emissions may be due to the stimulated activity of the AOA-amoA gene, resulting in unfavorable conditions for NO production and thus reduced NO loss.

Uncovering the prevalence and drivers of antibiotic resistance genes in soils across different land-use types.

The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil due to animal excreta and organic waste is a major threat to human health and ecosystems, and global efforts are required to tackle the issue. However, there is limited knowledge of the variation in ARG prevalence and diversity resulting from different land-use patterns and underlying driving factors in soils. This study aimed to comprehensively characterize the profile of ARGs and mobile genetic elements and their drivers in soil samples collected from 11 provinces across China, representing three different land-use types, using high-throughput quantitative polymerase chain reaction and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.

Effect of fertilizer type on antibiotic resistance genes by reshaping the bacterial community and soil properties.

Conventional and bio-organic fertilizers play an important role in maintaining soil health and promoting crop growth. However, the effect of organic fertilizers on the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the vegetable cropping system has been largely overlooked. In this study, we investigated the impacts of soil properties and biotic factors on ARG profiles by analyzing ARG and bacterial communities in vegetable copping soils with a long-term history of manure and bio-organic fertilizer application.