Evolution of microbial diversity in a tropical soil over 6 years of repeated organic and inorganic fertilization

Repeated applications of mixed organic and inorganic materials in agriculture improve the soil microbial quality and in turn crop productivity. The soil microbial quality following several years of repeated fertilization diets has received considerable attention, but the dynamic of this community over time has never been assessed. We used high-throughput sequencing targeting 16S ribosomal RNA genes to investigate the evolution of the prokaryotic community throughout 6 years of repeated organic and inorganic fertilizer applications. Soils were sampled from a field experiment in La Mare (Reunion Island, France), where different mixed organic-inorganic fertilization diets characterized by more or less stable organic matter were applied regularly for 6 years. Soil samples were taken each year, more than 6 months after the latest fertilizer application. Our results highlight that the soil microbial community is lastingly modified after 6 years of repeated fertilization diets. These changes depend on the nature of the organic input and on the fertilization practices (frequency and applied quantity). Repeated applications of mixed organic and inorganic materials in agriculture improve the soil microbial quality and in turn crop productivity. The soil microbial quality following several years of repeated fertilization diets has received considerable attention, but the dynamic of this community over time has never been assessed. We used high-throughput sequencing targeting 16S ribosomal RNA genes to investigate the evolution of the prokaryotic community throughout 6 years of repeated organic and inorganic fertilizer applications. Soils were sampled from a field experiment in La Mare (Reunion Island, France), where different mixed organic-inorganic fertilization diets characterized by more or less stable organic matter were applied regularly for 6 years. Soil samples were taken each year, more than 6 months after the latest fertilizer application. Our results highlight that the soil microbial community is lastingly modified after 6 years of repeated fertilization diets. These changes depend on the nature of the organic input and on the fertilization practices (frequency and applied quantity).