Non-additive effect of mixed decomposition of maize and potato straw

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2022.0339

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims The mixed decomposition of organic residues is crucial to the material cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. This study focuses on the decomposition process of mixed straw in farmland ecosystems.
Methods In this study, a 6-month litter bag experiment on the decomposition of maize (Zea mays) straw, potato (Solanum tuberosum) straw and maize-potato mixed straw was set up in maize monoculture, potato monoculture and maize-potato intercropping plots respectively. Biolog-Eco microplate method was applied to evaluate the microbial carbon metabolic activity as influenced by straw type and decomposition environment.
Important findings The results showed that the mixture of potato straw and maize straw resulted in a synergistic effect on the decomposition process. The decomposition rate and microbial metabolic activity of mixed straw were higher than those of single straw type, which facilitated the utilization of carbohydrate and carboxylic acid substrates by microorganisms. Such synergistic effect is weakened over time. Random Forest and structural equation modeling showed that soil dissolved organic carbon, nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen contents and straw carbon to nitrogen ratio were key factors driving straw decomposition. In general, straw decomposition is promoted by straw mixing.

Key words: mixed straw, intercropping, microbial metabolic activity, decomposition of organic material, non-additive effect

CHEN Lin-Kang, ZHAO Ping, WANG Ding, XIANG Rui, LONG Guang-Qiang. Non-additive effect of mixed decomposition of maize and potato straw[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2023, 47(12): 1728-1738.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2022.0339

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2023/V47/I12/1728

Figures/Tables 11

Table 1 Basic chemical properties of Zea mays (MS) and Solanum tuberosum straw (PS) before decomposition

秸秆类型 Straw type	全氮(N)含量 Total nitrogen (N) content (g·kg^-1)	全钾含量 Total potassium content (g·kg^-1)	全碳(C)含量 Total carbon (C) content (g·kg^-1)	全磷含量 Total phosphorus content (g·kg^-1)	C:N
MS	7.96	5.69	405.11	2.02	50.92
PS	9.66	17.70	360.01	2.41	37.27

Table 2 Basic chemical properties of soils in the experiment field before straw imbedding

分解环境 Decomposition environmental	pH	土壤有机质含量 SOM content (g·kg^-1)	全氮含量 TN content (g·kg^-1)	全钾含量 TK content (g·kg^-1)	全磷含量 TP content (g·kg^-1)	速效钾含量 AK content (mg·kg^-1)	速效磷含量 AP content (mg·kg^-1)	硝态氮含量 Nitrate nitrogen content (mg·kg^-1)	铵态氮含量 Ammonium nitrogen content (mg·kg^-1)
间作 Intercropping	7.3	22.88	1.72	12.99	0.17	130.11	4.33	7.54	2.52
玉米单作 Maize monoculture	7.5	23.64	1.46	16.44	0.24	149.84	4.52	10.76	2.35
马铃薯单作 Potato monoculture	7.6	20.95	1.06	12.29	0.20	121.99	5.30	7.87	2.37

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of straw decomposition bag placement. MS, maize straw; PS, potato straw; XS, mixed straw.

Table 3 Non-additive effects of mixed straw under different decomposition environments

分解环境 Decomposition environment	分解3个月 Decompose 3 months	分解6个月 Decompose 6 months
间作 Intercropping	13.97%	-0.01%
玉米单作 Maize monoculture	17.23%	8.01%
马铃薯单作 Potato monoculture	11.27%	13.73%

Fig. 2 Change of straw decomposition rate during different periods (mean ± SD). I, maize and potato intercropping; M, maize monoculture; P, potato monoculture. MS, maize straw; PS, potato straw; XS, mixed straw. Different uppercase letters in the figure indicate significant differences in decomposition rates of the same straw between different decomposition environments; different lowercase letters indicate that the decomposition rates of different straw under the same decomposition environment are significantly different; asterisks indicate significant differences in decomposition rates among different straw types (**, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001).

Table 4 Average well color development (AWCD), Simpson index and Shannon-Wiener index of straw decomposing microorganism cultured for 120 h (mean ± SD)

指标 Index	秸秆类型 Straw type	分解3个月 Decompose 3 months			分解6个月 Decompose 6 months
指标 Index	秸秆类型 Straw type	I	M	P	I	M	P
AWCD	XS	1.88 ± 0.08^Aa	1.57 ± 0.09^Ba	1.62 ± 0.05^Ba	0.96 ± 0.18^Bab	1.68 ± 0.17^Aa	1.71 ± 0.22^Aa
	MS	1.70 ± 0.06^Aa	1.22 ± 0.05^Cb	1.53 ± 0.03^Bb	1.23 ± 0.10^Aa	1.14 ± 0.18^Ab	1.46 ± 0.10^Aab
	PS	1.73 ± 0.09^Aa	1.64 ± 0.06^Aab	1.50 ± 0.02^Bb	0.88 ± 0.06^Bb	0.91 ± 0.12^Bb	1.29 ± 0.03^Ab
Simpson指数 Simpson index	XS	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa	0.96 ± 0.00^Bab	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa
	MS	0.96 ± 0.00^Ab	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa
	PS	0.96 ± 0.00^Aab	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa	0.96 ± 0.00^Ba	0.95 ± 0.00^Bb	0.95 ± 0.00^Ab	0.96 ± 0.00^Aa
Shannon-Wiener指数 Shannon-Wiener index	XS	3.36 ± 0.00^Aa	3.33 ± 0.03^Aa	3.34 ± 0.01^Aa	3.24 ± 0.04^Ba	3.30 ± 0.02^ABa	3.34 ± 0.03^Aa
	MS	3.33 ± 0.01^Ab	3.34 ± 0.01^Aa	3.34 ± 0.02^Aa	3.27 ± 0.02^Aa	3.30 ± 0.03^Ab	3.29 ± 0.02^Aa
	PS	3.35 ± 0.01^Aab	3.34 ± 0.01^Aa	3.32 ± 0.00^Ba	3.12 ± 0.05^Bb	3.21 ± 0.01^Ab	3.29 ± 0.04^Aa

Fig. 3 Utilization ratio of single carbon group by straw decomposing microorganisms. AA, amino acid; AM, amine; CA, carboxylic acid; CH, carbohydrate; PA, phenolic compound; PM, polymer. I, intercropping of maize and potato; M, maize monocropping; P, potato monocropping. MS, maize straw; PS, potato straw; XS, mixed straw.

Fig. 4 Utilization ratio of single carbon group for different straw types (A, B) and under different decomposition environment (C, D) (mean ± SD). Different lowercase letters indicate that the content of the same carbon source varies significantly among different treatments (p < 0.05). AWCD, average well color development. AA, amino acid; AM, amine; CA, carboxylic acid; CH, carbohydrate; PA, phenolic compound; PM, polymer. I, intercropping of maize and potato; M, maize monocropping; P, potato monocropping. MS, maize straw; PS, potato straw; XS, mixed straw.

Fig. 5 Heat map of correlation between straw decomposition rate and each carbon group. SDR, straw decomposition rate. AA, amino acid; AM, amine; CA, carboxylic acid; CH, carbohydrate; PA, phenolic compound; PM, polymer. MS, maize straw; PS, potato straw; XS, mixed straw. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001.

Fig. 6 Random forest regression model analysis on the main driving factors for decomposition rates of potato straw, maize straw and mixed straw. |mean square error| ≥ 3.0% factor was shown in the figure. MS, maize straw; PS, potato straw; XS, mixed straw. AN, ammonium nitrogen content; AP, available phosphorus content; DGA, D-galacturonic acid; DL, D,L-a-glycerol; DOC, dissolved organic carbon content; DX, D-xylose; GL, glycogen; GP, glucose-1-phosphate; I-a, I-alginol; NADG, N-acetyl-D-glucamine; NN, nitrate nitrogen content. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01.

Fig. 7 Structural equation model of the effects of soil properties, carbon group and straw carbon nitrogen ratio (C:N) on decomposition rates (SDR) of mixed straw (A), maize straw (B) and potato straw (C). Solid lines represent negative (blue) and positive (red) correlations, respectively, dashed lines indicate that the correlation is not significant. AN, ammonium nitrogen content; DOC, dissolved organic carbon content; NN, nitrate nitrogen content. MD, microbial functional diversity, expressed by Shannon-Wiener index and Simpson index; CH, carbohydrate, expressed by I-alginol (I-a) and D, L-a-glycerin (DL); CG, carbon group. GFI, goodness-of-fit index; RMSEA, root mean square error of approximation. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001. PCA1, the first principal components of D-xylose, N-acetyl-D-glucamine, glucose-1-phosphate, D-galacturonic acid and hepatic sugar in potato straw.

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