Soil Bacterial Community is Influenced by Long-Term Integrated Soil Fertility Management Practices in A Ferralsol in Western Kenya
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Date
2023-12
Authors
Bolo, Peter
Mucheru‐Muna, Monicah
Mwirichia, Romano K.
Kinyua, Michael
Ayaga, George
Kihara, Job
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
WILEY
Abstract
Introduction: Soil bacterial community structure, abundance and diversity, important in
biogeochemical cycling, are influenced by several anthropogenic and edaphic factors.
Numerous agronomic practices have been promoted to improve soil fertility and crop
production in western Kenya, but little is known on their impacts on soil microbial
diversity in the region.
Materials and Methods: In this study, conducted in 2019, we assessed the influence of
various long‐term (17 years) agronomic management practices, involving application of
farmyard manure (FYM) either sole or under different combinations with inorganic
nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), using 12 treatments, on bacterial
community composition, relative abundance and diversity. The bacterial community
composition was assessed through amplicon sequencing on an Illumina Miseq platform
conducted in MR DNA Laboratory, USA.
Results: The soil bacterial community composition and diversity were predominantly
higher under management practices with application of FYM, either sole or in
combination with inorganic fertilisers compared to treatments with either sole NPK
fertiliser or no input application. Certain bacterial taxa, involving Proteobacteria,
Bacteroidetes, Nitrospirae, Fusobacteria, Nitrospinae and Actinobacteria predominated in
management practices where FYM was added either solely or in combination with
chemical fertilisers. In addition, several soil chemical parameters showed significant
influences on bacterial composition, relative abundance and diversity indices. Soil pH,
soil organic carbon (SOC), N, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, Fe and cation exchange
capacity consistently showed strong positive correlation with numerous bacterial phyla.
Bacterial phyla were significantly affected by treatments. Some bacterial phyla, like
Chloroflexi and Acidobacteria, were mostly dominant in treatments applied with organic
inputs but were depressed under carbon‐deficient treatments (no‐input control and sole
NPK application treatments).
Conclusion: This study revealed that long‐term agricultural management practices that
seek to improve SOC content and nutrient availability also stimulated bacterial diversity
and shifted bacterial composition.
Description
Article
Keywords
bacteria, inorganic fertiliser, long‐term, management practices, manure
Citation
Bolo, P., Mucheru‐Muna, M., Mwirichia, R. K., Kinyua, M., Ayaga, G., & Kihara, J. (2024). Soil bacterial community is influenced by long‐term integrated soil fertility management practices in a Ferralsol in Western Kenya. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment, 3(1), e12090.