The response of soil fungal diversity and community composition to long-term fertilization

Shifts in fungal community structure are suggested to be induced by excessive application of nitrogen (N) with implications in soil quality and consequently in production. It is imperative to know how N-rich soil influences the responses of soil microbial community to N fertilization. In this study we employed the Nutrient Expert (NE) fertilizer management approach and compared it with the traditional farmer's practice (FP) fertilizer management in the intensively cultivated fluvo-aquic soil of North-central China and black soil of Northeast China and explored the effect of NE and FP management on crop yield, fungal diversity and community composition. The results revealed that maize yield was successfully increased in the NE management as compared with FP. Both the NE and FP management result in increased fungal diversity in fluvo-aquic soil. In black soil, NE management maintained fungal diversity, whereas FP management decreased fungal diversity. Meanwhile, soil pH and NO3-N significantly linked with fungal diversity and community composition across the two soils. Our study demonstrates that the NE management is a sustainable agricultural approach with higher crop yield and at the same time maintaining soil microbial diversity.