Long-Term Effect of Different Fertilization and Cropping Systems on the Soil Antibiotic Resistome

Summary

This 26-year field study examined how contrasting fertilisation and cropping systems shape the soil antibiotic resistome in dryland and paddy environments. Manure application did not cause large ARG accumulation compared to unfertilised controls, though soil type and management influenced ARG relative abundance: paddy soils showed higher ARG levels correlating with greater microbial biomass, whilst chemical fertiliser effects differed markedly between aerobic and anaerobic soil conditions. The findings illustrate how long-term agricultural management practices interact with soil redox chemistry to modulate the persistence and composition of antibiotic resistance determinants.

UK applicability

The study's findings on manure and chemical fertiliser effects on ARGs are potentially relevant to UK agricultural practice, though UK soils typically favour aerobic conditions more than the paddy systems examined. The long-term experimental design and focus on persistent effects one year after application cessation provide insights for evaluating antibiotic resistance risks in temperate arable and mixed farming systems.

Key measures

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) quantified by highly parallel qPCR and high-throughput sequencing; antibiotic residues measured by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS); microbial biomass; relative abundance of ARGs across soil types and management regimes

Outcomes reported

The study quantified antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in soils subjected to 26 years of different fertilisation regimes (chemical fertiliser, composted manure, or no fertiliser) across contrasting cropping systems. It determined how soil management practices influence ARG abundance, composition, and persistence in aerobic (dryland peanut) and anaerobic (paddy rice) environments.

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