Long-Term Organic Fertilization Enhances Soil Fertility and Reshapes Microbial Community Structure with Decreasing Effects Across Soil Depth.

ABSTRACT: Sustaining agricultural productivity and soil health under intensive cultivation requires a comprehensive understanding of fertilization effects, particularly on deeper soil layers, which has received limited attention compared to surface soils. This study investigated how different fertilization regimes (inorganic, organic, and combined organic-inorganic fertilizers) influence soil physicochemical properties, microbial diversity, community structure, and functional gene abundances at three soil depths (0-20 cm, 20-40 cm, and 40-60 cm) in a 40-year fertilization experiment. Organic fertilization significantly improved topsoil fertility indicators such as soil organic matter (56.6-109.2%), total nitrogen (66.7-122.0%), total phosphorus (198.6-413.2%), and available phosphorus (984.8-1622.1%

SUBMITTER: Li S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12843692 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature