Marina Zanardo, Riccardo Rosselli, Andrea Meneghesso, Gaurav Sablok, Piergiorgio Stevanato, Marion Engel, Adriano Altissimo, Lisanna Peserico, Valentina Dezuani, Giuseppe Concheri, Michael Schloter and Andrea Squartini
Soil Syst. 2018, 2, 52; doi:10.3390/soilsystems2030052
Abstract
Assessing the response of microbial communities to nutrient inputs in man-managed
soils is of primary importance to understand the impact on ecosystem services provided by the soil
microbiome. In this study, a low-nutrient soil was supplemented with seven different innovative
fertilizers including matrixes of plant, animal, fungal or synthetic origin, and dosed to deliver the
same amount of nitrogen. Growth of a potted grass crop (Cynodon dactylon) was recorded and
the fertilizers were scored by the plant yield obtained in a greenhouse study. Soil was sampled
at 9 and 58 days after the addition and bacterial community composition was analyzed after soil
DNA extraction through pyrosequencing of 16S rDNA gene amplicons. Over 900 bacterial genera
were detected, belonging to 21 described and 19 candidate phyla. In spite of the equal dose of
nitrogen delivered, specific groups were fostered by given fertilizers; in particular marked effects
on some phyla were displayed by a yeast-based fertilizer, which was also most effective in plant
productivity. The main shifts were observed shortly after the fertilizer application, followed by
a gradual stabilization of the equilibrium and by a rise in community evenness.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC CONTACT THE AUTHOR OF THE PUBLICATION:
Adriano Altissimo
