Microarthropods improve oat nutritional quality and mediate fertilizer effects on soil biological activity

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dc.contributor.authorJernigan, Ashley B.en
dc.contributor.authorKao-Kniffin, Jennyen
dc.contributor.authorPethybridge, Sarahen
dc.contributor.authorWickings, Kyleen
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-17T20:12:47Zen
dc.date.available2025-01-17T20:12:47Zen
dc.date.issued2024-05-27en
dc.description.abstractSoil biological processes are important drivers of crop productivity in agroecosystems. Soil microarthropods play key roles in nutrient cycling and plant nutrient acquisition, though little is known about how these effects manifest in crop production under different organic fertilizer amendments. We explored the interactive effects of microarthropods and fertilizers on crop productivity in two greenhouse experiments: experiment one involved a single Collembola species, and experiment two involved diverse microarthropod communities. Oats were grown as a model crop in both experiments under one of three initial fauna abundance levels (none, low, and high). In both experiments, four organic fertilization treatments were compared: alfalfa green manure, Kreher's Poultry Litter Compost, Chilean nitrate, and a nonamended control. Oat growth and development were evaluated weekly. During each experiment, 48 pots were selected randomly for destructive harvest at two separate times to mimic forage and grain harvest stages. At each harvest, multiple soil metrics (microarthropods, microbial biomass, microbial enzymes, and soil carbon and nitrogen) and plant metrics (biomass, reproduction, and tissue carbon and nitrogen content) were evaluated. Our findings indicated that microarthropods, both single species and diverse communities, stimulated nitrogen cycling and enhanced crop nutrient status. As microarthropod abundance and diversity increased, microarthropods exerted more effects on soil microbial activity. The effects of the microarthropods enhance the breakdown of fertilizers, ultimately making fertilizer choice less important for soil processes and plant nutrient availability. Our findings suggest that microarthropods drove oat production yields primarily through their effects on soil biological processes.en
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.extentPages 2007-2033en
dc.format.extent27 page(s)en
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21597en
dc.identifier.eissn1435-0645en
dc.identifier.issn0002-1962en
dc.identifier.issue4en
dc.identifier.orcidJernigan, Ashley [0000-0002-0181-5426]en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10919/124250en
dc.identifier.volume116en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherWileyen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en
dc.titleMicroarthropods improve oat nutritional quality and mediate fertilizer effects on soil biological activityen
dc.title.serialAgronomy Journalen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.otherArticleen
dc.type.otherJournalen
pubs.organisational-groupVirginia Techen
pubs.organisational-groupVirginia Tech/Agriculture & Life Sciencesen
pubs.organisational-groupVirginia Tech/All T&R Facultyen
pubs.organisational-groupVirginia Tech/Agriculture & Life Sciences/CALS T&R Facultyen
pubs.organisational-groupVirginia Tech/Agriculture & Life Sciences/School of Plant and Environmental Sciencesen

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