Abstract
Compound microbial agents are an important means to optimize soil quality and maintain soil microbial activity. When supplemented with microbial agents, straw returned to a field shows improved degradation efficiency and hence better nutrient release. However, due to the low temperature in the northern winter climate and the complex chemical composition of corn straw, the resultant low decomposition efficiency of straw returning to the field hinders the application of this process. In this study, the low-temperature-degradation microbial agent M44 of corn straw was used as the test material, and the effects of adding the pro-rot microbial agent on straw decomposition, nutrient release, enzyme activity, and the regulation of soil microorganisms were analyzed through an indoor pot straw degradation test. After 16 weeks of degradation under indoor pot conditions, the application of the microbial agent M44 promoted the shedding of the waxy layer on the surface of the straw, the average degradation efficiency of the straw increased by 8.9%, and the average nutrient-release rate of the straw carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium increased by 6.7%, 12.8%, 7.4%, and 9.6%, respectively. The average enzyme activities of soil β-glucosidase (BG), β-xylosidase (BX), laccase (EC), acetyl glucosaminidase (NAG), and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) increased by9.82, 4.13, 9.46, 2.73, and 5.55 [nmol/(g·h)], respectively, which promoted the degradation of methoxyl carbon and alkoxy carbon, increased the relative content of alkyl carbon, anomeric carbon, aromatic carbon, and carbonyl carbon, and decreased the O-alkyl C/alkyl C value by 2.52; the composition and structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities were significantly changed, and Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, Microbacterium, Penicillium, and Gibberella were significantly enriched, which increased the overall microbial activity through the production of degrading enzymes such as cellulase, thereby promoting the rapid degradation of straw. The present results thus provide theoretical support for the efficient decomposition of corn stalks in cold and arid regions.