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Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology ›› 2017, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (7): 2277-2384.doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.201707.033

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Effects of soil pH on the competitive uptake of amino acids by maize and microorganisms

MA Qing-xu1,2, WANG Jun1,2, CAO Xiao-chuang3, SUN Yan1,2, SUN Tao1,2, WU Liang-huan1,2*   

  1. 1Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
    2Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
    3State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China
  • Received:2017-02-14 Revised:2017-05-23 Published:2017-07-18
  • Contact: *mail:finm@zju.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2015CB150502), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD020010X), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31172032).

Abstract: Organic nitrogen can play an important role in plant growth, and soil pH changed greatly due to the over-use of chemical fertilizers, but the effects of soil pH on the competitive uptake of amino acids by plants and rhizosphere microorganisms are lack of detailed research. To study the effects of soil pH on the uptake of amino acids by maize and soil microorganisms, two soils from Hangzhou and Tieling were selected, and the soil pH was changed by the electrokinesis, then the 15N-labeled glycine was injected to the centrifuge tube with a short-term uptake of 4 h. Soil pH had a significant effect on the shoot and root biomass, and the optimal pH for maize shoot growth was 6.48 for Hangzhou red soil, while it was 7.65 for Tieling brown soil. For Hangzhou soil, the 15N abundance of maize shoots under pH=6.48 was significantly higher than under other treatments, and the uptake amount of 15N-glycine was also much higher. However, the 15N abundance of maize shoots and roots under pH=7.65 Tieling soil was significantly lower than it under pH=5.78, but the uptake amount of 15N-glycine under pH=7.65 was much higher. The microbial biomass C was much higher in pH=6.48 Hangzhou soil, while it was much lower in pH=7.65 Tieling soil. According to the results of root uptake, root to shoot transportation, and the competition with microorganisms, we suggested that although facing the fierce competition with microorganisms, the maize grown in pH=6.48 Hangzhou soil increased the uptake of glycine by increasing its root uptake and root to shoot transportation. While in pH=7.65 Tieling soil, the activity of microorganisms was decreased, which decreased the competition with maize for glycine, and increased the uptake of glycine by maize.