Artificial Humic Acid Improves Maize Growth and Soil Phosphorus Utilization Efficiency

Phosphate fertilizer and artificial humic substances are jointly applied to a model soil, and maize growth and the soil phosphorus availability are determined at various A-HS concentrations in greenhouses using the root-bag technique. A-HS structure was varied to include different species (artificial humic acid and artificial fulvic acid) with commercial humic acids as comparisons. Positive effects on agronomic traits and P uptake in maize seedlings are quantified. As A-HS also influences soil microbiome, we further explored its impact on soil acid phosphatase (ACP) and phoC gene community structure to provide insights into how A-HS affects microbially mediated P transformation. We found a declining necessity to invest in phoC species, while amount and composition shifted to plant-symbiotic microbia. As a general result, we expect that our research supports the application of A-HA in sustainable farming techniques by not only increasing the P availability of farmland, but also stimulating a healthy soil microbiom