Response of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities and soil organic carbon to magnesium fertilization in tea plantations

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2025.0321

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a crucial component for maintaining soil health and fertility in tea (Camellia sinensis) plantations, and its fixation process is closely associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). However, the response mechanisms of AMF community composition and SOC accumulation to magnesium (Mg) fertilization in tea plantations remain poorly understood.

Methods This study was conducted at a 7-year long-term experimental site in Anxi County, Fujian Province, within Tieguanyin tea plantations subjected to continuous Mg fertilization. Four application rates of magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (MgSO₄·7H₂O) application were implemented: Mg0 (0 kg·hm^-2, control), Mg50 (17.5 kg·hm^-2), Mg100 (35 kg·hm^-2), and Mg200 (70 kg·hm^-2). The research aims to elucidate the responses of both AMF communities and SOC content to Mg fertilization in the tea plantation ecosystem.

Important findings Compared to Mg0, Mg50, Mg100, and Mg200 significantly increased SOC content (by 7.8%, 11.7%, and 14.8%), exchangeable Mg²⁺ content (by 1 370%, 2 351%, and 2 746%), soil pH (by 2.3%, 2.8%, and 4.2%), dissolved organic carbon content (by 3.5%, 3.3%, and 4.0%), tea pruning biomass (by 6.1%, 13.9%, and 20.2%), and the relative abundance of the Glomus (by 59.5%, 75.4%, and 37.3%). Structural equation modeling revealed that magnesium fertilization promotes SOC sequestration synergistically through two main pathways: firstly, by improving soil physicochemical properties and stimulating tea plant growth to enhance carbon input; and secondly, by optimizing the AMF community structure and strengthening the functional contribution of Glomus. This study elucidates the dual-pathway mechanism through which magnesium fertilization enhances carbon sequestration in tea plantations by regulating the soil microenvironment and AMF communities, providing a theoretical foundation and practical strategies for achieving carbon neutrality in tea garden ecosystems.

Key words: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, soil organic carbon, magnesium fertilizer, tea garden

HE Zheng-Jia, ZENG Xin-Ran, WANG Lin-Ying, XUE Xin-Yu, SU Qin-Ze, LI Yu, ZHANG Yin-Jie, WU Hui-Huang, CHEN Cheng-Cong, WU Liang-Quan, WEI An-Ni, QIU Yun-Peng, GUO Li-Jin. Response of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities and soil organic carbon to magnesium fertilization in tea plantations[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2026, 50(3): 700-709.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2025.0321

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2026/V50/I3/700

Figures/Tables 7

Fig. 1 Effects of magnesium fertilizer application rates on soil physicochemical properties, tea yield, and pruning biomass (mean ± SD). Mg0, Mg50, Mg100, and Mg200 represent magnesium sulfate heptahydrate application rates of 0, 17.5, 35 and 70 kg·hm-2, respectively. Different lowercase letters indicate significant difference under different magnesium fertilizer application rates (p < 0.05).

Fig. 2 Effects of magnesium fertilizer application on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community. Mg0, Mg50, Mg100, and Mg200 represent magnesium sulfate heptahydrate application rates of 0, 17.5, 35 and 70 kg·hm-2, respectively. NMDS, non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis based on Brsy-Curtis distance.

Fig. 3 Redundancy analysis (RDA) based on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities. Ca, exchangeable Ca2+ content; DOC, dissolved organic carbon content; Mg, exchangeable Mg2+ content; NH4+, ammonium nitrogen content; NO3-, nitrate nitrogen content; SOC, soil organic carbon content. Mg0, Mg50, Mg100, and Mg200 represent magnesium sulfate heptahydrate application rates of 0, 17.5, 35 and 70 kg·hm-2, respectively.

Table 1 Coefficient of determination (R²) and statistical significance (p) of environmental factors in redundancy analysis (RDA)

	土壤有机碳含量 Soil organic carbon content	pH	交换性镁含量 Mg content	交换性钙含量 Ca content	铵态氮含量 NH₄⁺-N content	硝态氮含量 NO₃^--N content	水溶性有机碳含量 Dissolved organic carbon content
p	0.005	0.388	0.004	0.028	0.001	0.048	0.171
R²	0.547	0.129	0.566	0.437	0.691	0.363	0.234

Fig. 4 Linear relationships of soil physicochemical indices, tea leaf yield, and pruning biomass with soil organic carbon (SOC) content. *, p < 0.05. Shaded areas represent 95% confidence intervals. Mg0, Mg50, Mg100, and Mg200 represent magnesium sulfate heptahydrate application rates of 0, 17.5, 35 and 70 kg·hm-2, respectively.

Fig. 5 Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) of the effects of magnesium fertilizer application on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. Gray lines indicate positive effects, while red lines indicate negative effects. n = 16, goodness-of-fit (GoF) = 0.739. *, p < 0.05; **, p< 0.01; ***, p < 0.001.

Table 2 Total effects of magnesium application on partial least squares structural equation modeling

	土壤有机碳含量 Soil organic carbon content	pH	水溶性有机碳含量 Dissolved organic carbon content	修剪凋落物 Tea pruning biomass	Glomus丰度
效应值	0.600	0.653	0.702	0.627	0.503

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