Increasing methane (CH4) emissions and altering rhizosphere microbial diversity in paddy soil by combining Chinese milk vetch and rice straw

Background Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.) can improve paddy soil fertility and ecology through nitrogen fixation, but it can also increase greenhouse gas emissions. Our primary objective was to investigate how Chinese milk vetch, rice straw, and nitrogen fertilization affect the methane and microbial components of the rice rhizosphere. Methods We examined the rhizosphere’s methane emissions and microbial abundance and diversity after incorporating Chinese milk vetch and rice straw into paddy soil. We used high-throughput sequencing of the 16s rRNA and ITS1 genes to study changes in the bacterial and fungal communities, respectively. Over the course of our experiment, we applied seven different treatments to the paddy soil: conventional fertilization (the control treatment) for winter fallow crops, three levels of nitrogen in Chinese milk vetch, and three levels of nitrogen in Chinese milk vetch combined with rice straw. Results Rice yield and methane emissions increased during cultivation when the soil was treated with Chinese milk vetch with and without added straw. The nitrogen application also affected the methane fluxes. Alpha diversity measurements showed that Chinese milk vetch increased the diversity of the soil fungal community but did not significantly affect the bacterial community. Chinese milk vetch affected the rhizosphere microorganism communities by increasing the number of Methanomicrobia.