Influence of decomposition agent application and schedule in wheat straw return practice on soil quality and crop yield

Straw return is a beneficial agricultural practice but mechanisms and information on microbial community alterations initiated by decomposed straw and promotion of soil nutritive content and conservation is still not adequately understood. Therefore, the study applied molecular, bioinformatics, chemical and plant yield analysis to determine the effect of wheat straw return and decomposing agent on soil, fungi and crop yield characteristics under wheat biomass return with and without the inclusion of the decomposition agent at varying times. We hypothesized no difference in fungal community diversity and composition, no changes in soil characteristics as well as no changes in cotton growth characteristics between three different conditions (i) no straw return, (ii) straw return under decomposition agent and (iii) straw return under no decomposition agent. It involved analysis of changes in fungal community diversity and composition, changes in soil characteristics as well as changes in cotton growth characteristics under the different treatments. The phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were in relatively in highest abundance within the straw return under decomposition agent treatment than in both the straw return treatment and straw return under no decomposition agent treatment. The pathogenic genus Aspergillus as the most dominant under no straw return treatment, while genus Trechispora, Lulwaona and Dioszegia were most dominant under straw return under no decomposition agent treatment. Indeed, there was high fungal community dissimilarity between the three treatments. Additionally, there was increased rise in fungal diversity, soil nutrients and crop yield under the straw return within the shortest possible time, and the addition of decomposing agent further enhanced the high fungal species diversity. Graphical Abstract