Abstract
Organic fertilization and planting interactively regulate soil carbon (C) storage, phosphorus (P) components, and microbial respiration, providing insights for optimizing fertilization regimes in farmland. This study employed a pot experiment with organic fertilization and crop planting as two factors, each at two levels, was conducted to comparatively analyze the changes in soil organic C, P fractions (total organic P/total inorganic P, Po/Pi), and microbial respiration (SIR, substrate-induced respiration) under different treatments (organic fertilizer application, planting crops or not, and their combinations). The results showed that long-term absence of organic inputs significantly reduced soluble C by 33–56% and enhanced organic P mineralization (indicated by a 27% decrease in Po/Pi ratio). Organic fertilizer application increased soluble C by 18–22% in the topsoil (0–5 cm), and this increase was greater than that observed in the absence of crops, stimulated microbial respiration (+ 30%), and led to a 3.6-fold accumulation of labile organic P. However, it exacerbated P availability stratification (40% decline in Po/Pi). Crop cultivation increased microbial biomass (+ 15–20%) and improved subsoil P speciation (50% increase in Po/Pi). Combining deep-rooted crop cultivation with surface organic fertilizer application synergistically enhances soil C sequestration.
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Thank you to Editor Yingde Xu for your assistance to us.
Funding
This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFD1501900, 2024YFD1500103-03), Liaoning Province Doctoral Scientific Startup Fund (2025-BS-0516).
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Li, X., Romanyà, J., Fu, Q. et al. Effects of organic amendments and crop cultivation on soil organic carbon storage, phosphorus components, and microbial respiration in stratified soils.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-53127-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-53127-w
Keywords
- Organic fertilizer
- Cropping
- C substrate
- Microbial biomass
Source: Ecology - nature.com
