Liming enhances the abundance and stability of nitrogen-cycling microbes: the buffering effect of long-term lime application

Akari Mitsuta; Késia Silva Lourenço; Jingjing Chang; Mart Ros; René Schils; Yoshitaka Uchida; Eiko Eurya Kuramae

doi:10.1007/s00374-025-01889-2

Liming enhances the abundance and stability of nitrogen-cycling microbes: the buffering effect of long-term lime application

Akari Mitsuta, Késia Silva Lourenço, Jingjing Chang, Mart Ros, René Schils, Yoshitaka Uchida, Eiko Eurya Kuramae^* (Corresponding author)

^*Corresponding author for this work

NIOO - Microbial Ecology (ME)

Research output: Contribution to journal/periodical › Article › Scientific › peer-review

Abstract

Lime application (liming) has historically been used to ameliorate soil acidity in grasslands. Liming effectively improves soil pH, plant productivity, and soil physicochemical properties, but the long-term impact of acidity control by liming on key microbial nitrogen (N)-cycling genes in semi-natural grasslands is unknown. We investigated the effect of 65 years of liming on N-cycling processes in the limed and control plots of the Ossekampen long-term grassland experiment in the Netherlands. These plots have not received any other fertilizers for 65 years. Soil sampling and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission measurements were conducted three times in spring and four times in summer, and quantitative real-time PCR was performed to determine the absolute abundances of N-cycling genes, including ammonia-oxidation (amoA-AOB, amoA-AOA, amoA-comammox), denitrification (nirS, nirK, nosZ), nitrate ammonification (nrfA), and N-fixation (nifH) genes. Long-term liming increased the absolute abundances of nitrifiers, denitrifiers, and nitrate ammonifiers. Soil N2O emissions did not differ significantly between liming and control treatments. Additionally, liming had a buffering effect that maintained the population of N-cycling microbes against seasonal variations in abundance. Our results indicate that improving soil acidity through liming potentially facilitates microbial N-cycling processes without increasing N2O emissions.

Original language	English
Journal	Biology and Fertility of Soils
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-025-01889-2
Publication status	Published - 24 Jan 2025

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@article{90637442f3594685aa6bfc4c244c3ffc,

title = "Liming enhances the abundance and stability of nitrogen-cycling microbes: the buffering effect of long-term lime application",

abstract = "Lime application (liming) has historically been used to ameliorate soil acidity in grasslands. Liming effectively improves soil pH, plant productivity, and soil physicochemical properties, but the long-term impact of acidity control by liming on key microbial nitrogen (N)-cycling genes in semi-natural grasslands is unknown. We investigated the effect of 65 years of liming on N-cycling processes in the limed and control plots of the Ossekampen long-term grassland experiment in the Netherlands. These plots have not received any other fertilizers for 65 years. Soil sampling and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission measurements were conducted three times in spring and four times in summer, and quantitative real-time PCR was performed to determine the absolute abundances of N-cycling genes, including ammonia-oxidation (amoA-AOB, amoA-AOA, amoA-comammox), denitrification (nirS, nirK, nosZ), nitrate ammonification (nrfA), and N-fixation (nifH) genes. Long-term liming increased the absolute abundances of nitrifiers, denitrifiers, and nitrate ammonifiers. Soil N2O emissions did not differ significantly between liming and control treatments. Additionally, liming had a buffering effect that maintained the population of N-cycling microbes against seasonal variations in abundance. Our results indicate that improving soil acidity through liming potentially facilitates microbial N-cycling processes without increasing N2O emissions.",

author = "Akari Mitsuta and Louren{\c c}o, {K{\'e}sia Silva} and Jingjing Chang and Mart Ros and Ren{\'e} Schils and Yoshitaka Uchida and Kuramae, {Eiko Eurya}",

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doi = "10.1007/s00374-025-01889-2",

language = "English",

journal = "Biology and Fertility of Soils",

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T1 - Liming enhances the abundance and stability of nitrogen-cycling microbes: the buffering effect of long-term lime application

AU - Mitsuta, Akari

AU - Lourenço, Késia Silva

AU - Chang, Jingjing

AU - Ros, Mart

AU - Schils, René

AU - Uchida, Yoshitaka

AU - Kuramae, Eiko Eurya

PY - 2025/1/24

Y1 - 2025/1/24

N2 - Lime application (liming) has historically been used to ameliorate soil acidity in grasslands. Liming effectively improves soil pH, plant productivity, and soil physicochemical properties, but the long-term impact of acidity control by liming on key microbial nitrogen (N)-cycling genes in semi-natural grasslands is unknown. We investigated the effect of 65 years of liming on N-cycling processes in the limed and control plots of the Ossekampen long-term grassland experiment in the Netherlands. These plots have not received any other fertilizers for 65 years. Soil sampling and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission measurements were conducted three times in spring and four times in summer, and quantitative real-time PCR was performed to determine the absolute abundances of N-cycling genes, including ammonia-oxidation (amoA-AOB, amoA-AOA, amoA-comammox), denitrification (nirS, nirK, nosZ), nitrate ammonification (nrfA), and N-fixation (nifH) genes. Long-term liming increased the absolute abundances of nitrifiers, denitrifiers, and nitrate ammonifiers. Soil N2O emissions did not differ significantly between liming and control treatments. Additionally, liming had a buffering effect that maintained the population of N-cycling microbes against seasonal variations in abundance. Our results indicate that improving soil acidity through liming potentially facilitates microbial N-cycling processes without increasing N2O emissions.

AB - Lime application (liming) has historically been used to ameliorate soil acidity in grasslands. Liming effectively improves soil pH, plant productivity, and soil physicochemical properties, but the long-term impact of acidity control by liming on key microbial nitrogen (N)-cycling genes in semi-natural grasslands is unknown. We investigated the effect of 65 years of liming on N-cycling processes in the limed and control plots of the Ossekampen long-term grassland experiment in the Netherlands. These plots have not received any other fertilizers for 65 years. Soil sampling and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission measurements were conducted three times in spring and four times in summer, and quantitative real-time PCR was performed to determine the absolute abundances of N-cycling genes, including ammonia-oxidation (amoA-AOB, amoA-AOA, amoA-comammox), denitrification (nirS, nirK, nosZ), nitrate ammonification (nrfA), and N-fixation (nifH) genes. Long-term liming increased the absolute abundances of nitrifiers, denitrifiers, and nitrate ammonifiers. Soil N2O emissions did not differ significantly between liming and control treatments. Additionally, liming had a buffering effect that maintained the population of N-cycling microbes against seasonal variations in abundance. Our results indicate that improving soil acidity through liming potentially facilitates microbial N-cycling processes without increasing N2O emissions.

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