Bacterial drivers of microbial and plant-derived carbon accumulation with long-term manure application

Long-term manure application is a recognized strategy for promoting the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC) in agroecosystems. However, the specific contributions of plant-derived (lignin phenols) and microbial-derived (amino sugars) carbon to this process and the underlying microbial mechanism, remain poorly understood. To investigate the key drivers of SOC accumulation, we conducted a 20-year field experiment with four soil treatments: no fertilizer (CK), mineral fertilizer (NPK), and NPK with low (LOM) and high (HOM) manure application rates.