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Agriculture
Volume 16
Issue 10
10.3390/agriculture16101077
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

The Combination of Organic and Inorganic Nitrogen Accelerates Green Manure Residue Decomposition by Altering Bacterial Life-History Strategies

by
Yong Zhou
1,
Feng Zhao
2,
Jiajia Sun
2,
Xin Liu
3,
Wei Yang
4,
Jiangwen Nie
4,*,
Zhangyong Liu
4 and
Bo Zhu
4
1
Hubei Key Laboratory of Resource Utilization and Quality Control of Characteristic Crops, College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan 432000, China
2
Rural Economic Development Service Center of Qihe County, Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Dezhou 251100, China
3
Jingmen (China Valley) Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jingmen 448000, China
4
Hubei Key Laboratory of Waterlogging Disaster and Agricultural Use of Wetland/Engineering Research Center of Ecology and Agricultural Use of Wetland, Ministry of Education, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agriculture 2026, 16(10), 1077; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101077
Submission received: 14 April 2026 / Revised: 11 May 2026 / Accepted: 12 May 2026 / Published: 14 May 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Management and Efficient Use of Nutrients in Crop Systems—2nd Edition)
Versions Notes

Abstract

In southern China, Chinese milk vetch is used as green manure to substitute for inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizers and improve soil fertility, but how different incorporation methods affect its decomposition and underlying microbial mechanisms is unclear. This study used four fertilization regimes (CK: no N; CF: sole chemical N; CM: sole vetch; CMCF: vetch + 40% reduced N) to evaluate bacterial diversity, community composition and life history strategies during early vetch decomposition, and the nylon bag method to compare decomposition and C/N release dynamics. The results show that vetch dry matter decomposition reached 81.9–85.2% in 34 days, slowing to 11.8–14.4% after 192 days. CMCF significantly accelerated early decomposition and N release compared with CM. While CMCF reduced the bacterial Ace and Chao indices compared to CK with similar community structure, CF/CM exhibited distinct community structures. Compared to CM, CMCF increased r-strategy bacteria (e.g., Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota) and decreased K-strategy ones (e.g., Chloroflexi). Furthermore, decomposition rate positively correlated with r-strategy and negatively with K-strategy bacteria, with soil temperature as the primary driver. Compared to CMCF, CM reduced bacterial network complexity, decreasing nodes by 63.6% and average degree by 68.5%. In conclusion, combining vetch with chemical N enhances vetch residue decomposition while preserving microbial network structure and functional diversity.
Keywords: Chinese milk vetch; residue decomposition; soil bacteria; organic–inorganic nitrogen application; sustainable agriculture Chinese milk vetch; residue decomposition; soil bacteria; organic–inorganic nitrogen application; sustainable agriculture

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhou, Y.; Zhao, F.; Sun, J.; Liu, X.; Yang, W.; Nie, J.; Liu, Z.; Zhu, B. The Combination of Organic and Inorganic Nitrogen Accelerates Green Manure Residue Decomposition by Altering Bacterial Life-History Strategies. Agriculture 2026, 16, 1077. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101077

AMA Style

Zhou Y, Zhao F, Sun J, Liu X, Yang W, Nie J, Liu Z, Zhu B. The Combination of Organic and Inorganic Nitrogen Accelerates Green Manure Residue Decomposition by Altering Bacterial Life-History Strategies. Agriculture. 2026; 16(10):1077. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101077

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhou, Yong, Feng Zhao, Jiajia Sun, Xin Liu, Wei Yang, Jiangwen Nie, Zhangyong Liu, and Bo Zhu. 2026. "The Combination of Organic and Inorganic Nitrogen Accelerates Green Manure Residue Decomposition by Altering Bacterial Life-History Strategies" Agriculture 16, no. 10: 1077. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101077

APA Style

Zhou, Y., Zhao, F., Sun, J., Liu, X., Yang, W., Nie, J., Liu, Z., & Zhu, B. (2026). The Combination of Organic and Inorganic Nitrogen Accelerates Green Manure Residue Decomposition by Altering Bacterial Life-History Strategies. Agriculture, 16(10), 1077. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101077

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