Summary
Returning straw to the field is a common practice to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) content, but farm households often apply excessive nitrogen fertilizer to support microbial decomposition of straw, leading to nitrogen loss, soil degradation, and microbial community instability. However, microbial community stability is crucial for straw decomposition and SOC accumulation. Therefore, optimizing nitrogen fertilizer application in straw return systems is particularly important. We conducted a five-year field trial in a dryland wheat field to compare reduced nitrogen fertilization (ND, 108 kg N ha −1 ) with conventional fertilization (CK, 135 kg N ha −1 ) on SOC content and soil microbial community stability. The reduced nitrogen treatment increased dissolved, mineral-associated, particu
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