Abstract
Abstract Nitrogen (N) content affects aboveground maize growth and nutrient absorption by altering the belowground rhizospheric ecosystem, impacting both yield and quality. However, the mechanisms through which different N supply methods (chemical and biological N supplies) regulate the belowground rhizospheric ecosystem to enhance maize yield remain unclear. To address this issue, we conducted a field experiment in northeast China, comprising three treatments: maize monocropping without N fertilizer application (MM), maize/alfalfa intercropping without N fertilizer application (BNF), and maize monocropping with N fertilizer application (CNS). The MM treatment represents the control, while the BNF treatment represents the biological N supply form, and CNS treatment represents the chemical N supply form. In the autumn of 2019, samples of maize and rhizospheric soil were collected to assess parameters including yield, rhizospheric soil characteristics, and microbial indicators. Both BNF and MM significantly increased maize yield and different yield components compared with MM, with no statistically significant difference in total yield between BNF and CNS. Furthermore, BNF significantly improved N by 12.61% and available N (AN) by 13.20% compared with MM. Furthermore, BNF treatment also significantly increased the Shannon index by 1.90%, while the CNS treatment significantly increased the Chao1 index by 28.1% and ACE index by 29.49%, with no significant difference between CNS and BNF. However, CNS had a more pronounced impact on structure of the rhizosphere soil bacterial community compared to BNF, inducing more significant fluctuations within the microbial network (modularity index and negative cohesion index). Regarding N transformation pathways predicted by bacterial functions, BNF significantly increased the N fixation pathway, while CNS significantly increased assimilatory nitrate reduction. In CNS, AN, NO 3 ‐N, NH 4 ‐N, assimilatory nitrate reduction, and community structure contributed significantly to maize yield, whereas in BNF, N fixation, community structure, community stability, NO 3 ‐N, and NH 4 ‐N played significant roles in enhancing maize yield. While CNS and BNF can achieve comparable maize yields in practical agricultural production, they have significantly different impacts on the belowground rhizosphere ecosystem, leading to different mechanisms of yield enhancement.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
BNF significantly increased maize yield and yield components relative to MM.
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Both BNF and MM significantly increased maize yield and different yield components compared with MM”
Claim · model-written summary
BNF and CNS did not differ significantly in total maize yield.
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Verbatim
e0“with no statistically significant difference in total yield between BNF and CNS.”
Claim · model-written summary
BNF significantly increased rhizosphere N by 12.61% relative to MM.
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Verbatim
e0“BNF significantly improved N by 12.61% and available N (AN) by 13.20% compared with MM.”
Claim · model-written summary
BNF significantly increased available N by 13.20% relative to MM.
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Verbatim
e0“BNF significantly improved N by 12.61% and available N (AN) by 13.20% compared with MM.”
Claim · model-written summary
BNF significantly increased the Shannon index by 1.90%.
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Verbatim
e0“BNF treatment also significantly increased the Shannon index by 1.90%”
Claim · model-written summary
CNS significantly increased the Chao1 index by 28.1%.
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Verbatim
e0“CNS treatment significantly increased the Chao1 index by 28.1% and ACE index by 29.49%”
Claim · model-written summary
CNS significantly increased the ACE index by 29.49%.
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Verbatim
e0“CNS treatment significantly increased the Chao1 index by 28.1% and ACE index by 29.49%”
Claim · model-written summary
CNS affected rhizosphere bacterial community structure more strongly than BNF.
- Treatment
- CNSe0
- Outcome
- structure of the rhizosphere soil bacterial communitye0
- Direction
- more pronouncede0
- Comparator
- BNFe0
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e0“CNS had a more pronounced impact on structure of the rhizosphere soil bacterial community compared to BNF”
Claim · model-written summary
BNF significantly increased the predicted N fixation pathway.
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Verbatim
e0“BNF significantly increased the N fixation pathway”
Claim · model-written summary
CNS significantly increased predicted assimilatory nitrate reduction.
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Verbatim
e0“CNS significantly increased assimilatory nitrate reduction.”