Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41467004›Full record

ArticleFundamental research2025

Key role of microbial necromass and iron minerals in retaining micronutrients and facilitating biological nitrogen fixation in paddy soils.

Li-Xin Xu, Fei Wang, Yao Yao, Minjie Yao, Yakov Kuzyakov, Guang-Hui Yu, Cong-Qiang Liu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Fundamental research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Li-Xin XuInstitute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Earth Critical Zone Science and Sustainable Development in Bohai Rim, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
Fei WangInstitute of Soil and Fertilizer, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350013, China.
Yao YaoInstitute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Earth Critical Zone Science and Sustainable Development in Bohai Rim, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
Minjie YaoEngineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
Yakov KuzyakovDepartment of Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, Department of Agricultural Soil Science, University of Gӧttingen, Gӧttingen 37073, Germany.
Guang-Hui YuInstitute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Earth Critical Zone Science and Sustainable Development in Bohai Rim, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
Cong-Qiang LiuInstitute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Earth Critical Zone Science and Sustainable Development in Bohai Rim, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Paddy fields, as the largest anthropogenic wetlands on Earth, face a high risk of micronutrient loss through surface runoff and leaching due to their frequent irrigation-drainage cycles, as well as removal with crop harvest. While micronutrient's losses largely impede biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in soils, agricultural practices and mechanisms that retain micronutrients and thus increase BNF in paddy soils remain underexplored. Here we showed that the long-term (40 years) application of fertilizers increased the contents of microbial necromass in paddy soils by 20%-43% compared to the unfertilized control. In particular, long-term organic fertilizations increased poorly crystalline minerals through intensifying mineral weathering, which further contributed to the increased stable carbon burials in paddy soils. Synchrotron radiation based spectromicroscopy analysis provided direct evidence demonstrating a differential control of hydroxyl functional groups from mineral surfaces on C functional groups at the submicron scale in paddy soils. Notably, microbial necromass and short-range ordered minerals had a strong correlation with the content and bioavailability of micronutrients in paddy soils, indicating their key roles in the retention of micronutrients. Metagenomic sequencing analysis further indicated that the content and bioavailability of micronutrients were strongly correlated with the abundance of the key N-fixing genera (i.e., Azospirillum and Bradyrhizobium). Unexpectedly, structural equation modeling (SEM) identified that microbial necromass exerted the strongest control on N-fixing genera, highlighting an underappreciated role of microbial necromass as a reservoir of micronutrients. Based on micronutrient's bioavailability and metagenomic sequencing, we conclude that micronutrients are the key factor for BNF in paddy soils, offering significant implications for managing BNF in paddy soils.

Indexed as

Amino sugarsFunctional genesLong-term fertilizationMetagenomicsSynchrotron radiation based spectromicroscopyTrace metals

Identifiers

PMID41467004
PMCPMC12744662

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.