The effects of manure and chemical fertilizer on soil bulk density, soil organic carbon (SOC), and the role of carbon management index (CMI) in soil quality evaluation were studied under a double-cropping rice system in a long-term experiment. The experiment included five fertilizer treatments: without fertilizer input (CK), chemical fertilizer alone (MF), rice straw residue plus chemical fertilizer (RF), 30% organic matter plus 70% chemical fertilizer (LOM), and 60% organic matter plus 40% chemical fertilizer (HOM). RF, LOM, HOM treatments increased SOC content relative to MF treatment in the paddy fields at 0–20 cm. RF, LOM, HOM treatments were more effective for increasing CMI, lability index, lability of C, and SOC stocks, as compared with MF treatment. Based on rice grain yield and carbon storage, integrated fertilization of chemical fertilizer and organic manure proved to be the most effective practices for improving crop productivity and SOC sequestration.

The soil physicochemical properties and soil microbial communities were affected by different fertilizer management. Fertilizer regime were closely relative to the soil texture and nutrient status in a double-cropping paddy field of southern China. However, there was limited information about the influence of different manure nitrogen (N) input on soil microbial communities in a double-cropping rice (Oryza sativa L.) field. Therefore, the short-term different manure N input rate management on soil bacterial and fungal diversity in a double-cropping paddy field of southern China were studied by using Illumina sequencing and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction technology in the present paper. The filed experiment were including 100% N of chemical fertilizer (M0), 30% N of organic manure and 70% N of chemical fertilizer (M30), 50% N of organic manure and 50% N of chemical fertilizer (M50), 100% N of organic manure (M100), and without N fertilizer input as control (CK). The results showed that diversity indices of soil microbial communities with application of organic manure and chemical N fertilizer treatments were higher than that of CK treatment. Application of organic manure and chemical N fertilizer management increase soil bacterial abundance of the phylum Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, and soil fungi abundance of the phylum Basidiomycota and Zygomycota were also increased. Compared with CK treatment, the value of Richness, Shannon and McIntosh indices, and taxonomic diversity were increased with M30, M50 and M100 treatments. This finding demonstrated that M30, M50 and M100 treatments modify soil bacterial and fungal diversity. Therefore, the combined application of organic manure and chemical fertilizer N management could significantly increase the abundance of profitable functional bacteria and fungi species in a double-cropping rice field of southern China.

Residue management in cropping systems is useful to improve soil quality. However, the studies on the effects of residue management on the enzyme activities and microbial community of soils in South China are few. Therefore, the effects of incorporating winter cover crop residue with a double-cropping rice (Oryza sativa L.) system on soil enzyme activities and microbial community in Southern China fields were studied. The experiment has conducted at the experimental station of the Institute of Soil and Fertilizer Research, Hunan Academy of Agricultural Science, China since winter 2004. Four winter cropping systems were used: rice–rice–ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) (R-R-Ry), rice–rice–Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.) (R-R-Mv), rice–rice–rape (Brassica napus L.) (R-R-Ra) and rice–rice with winter fallow (R-R-Fa). The result indicated that the enzyme activities in the R-R-Ry, R-R-Mv and R-R-Ra systems were significantly higher (P<0.05) than in the R-R-Fa system during the early and late rice season. The β-glucosidase activities reached peak values at the tillering stage after residue application, and alkaline phosphatase activities reached peak values at the booting stage after residue application, respectively, the activities of β-glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase gradually decreased after this. Arylsulfatase activities reached peak values at the maturity stage. Arylamidase activities reached peak values at the maturity stage. The numbers of aerobic bacteria, actinomycete and fungus of residue treatments were significantly higher (P<0.05) than that the R-R-Ra system. However, the number of anaerobic bacteria under the R-R-Ry and R-R-Mv systems was significantly lower (P<0.05) than that under the R-R-Fa system during early rice and late rice growth stage. Thus, incorporation of winter cover crops into rotations may increase enzyme activities and microbial community in soil and therefore improve soil quality.