Bio-organic fertilizer influences the degradation of mesosulfuron-methyl in wheat rhizosphere

The application of organic fertilization at sowing is an effective strategy to mitigate the adverse effects of pesticides in soil. However, the mechanisms by which soil microbes drive the degradation of the long-acting herbicide mesosulfuron-methyl remain unexplored. Here, we investigated the response of soil microbial communities to mesosulfuron-methyl in unamended soils and soils amended with organic fertilizer . Structural equation modeling revealed that organic fertilizer facilitates mesosulfuron-methyl degradation by directly or indirectly regulating microbial communities. Amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA indicated that sulfonylurea-degrading bacteria dominated at the seedling stage in T1F, coinciding with significant mesosulfuron-methyl degradation. Additionally, a new microbial community assembly with pesticide-degrading Sphingomonas as key species was observed in the T1F. The results demonstrate that the application of organic fertilizer at crop sowing helps establish beneficial microbial communities and clarify the microbiological mechanisms by which organic fertilizers help maintain the stability of soil ecosystems.