Dynamics of sulfate reduction and sulfate-reducing prokaryotes in anaerobic paddy soil amended with rice straw

Abstract

Incorporation of rice straw to soil is a common agricultural practice in rice cultivation. In anaerobic paddy soil, the complete mineralization of organic matter to CH4 and CO2 is accomplished by the sequential reduction of nitrate, ferric iron, sulfate, and methanogenesis. In order to estimate the temporal changes of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP) as decomposers of organic matters, the effects of rice straw amendment on the dynamics of sulfate reduction and SRP were investigated by combining the monitoring of CH4, sulfate, and organic acids with molecular tools such as soil DNA extraction, real-time PCR, cloning, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. The incorporation of rice straw int..