Effect of slow-release urea on soil nematode community structure in a Chinese soybean field

The effect of slow-release urea on soil nematode community structure was investigated in a soybean field in northeast China. Three treatments, no urea (CK), conventional urea (U) and slow-release urea (SRU), were arranged in a completely random design. The results show that the abundance of total nematodes was significantly higher in SRU than in CK and U. Significant differences in the abundance of bacterivores with colonizer-persister (cp) values 2–3, fungivores with cp 2 and herbivores with cp 3 were found among different treatments. Forty-one genera were identified, of which Acrobeloides, Aphelenchus and Heterodera were dominant. Soil nematode guilds and genera exhibited different responses to slow-release urea. The most trophic groups and genera had greater abundances in SRU than in CK and U. Slow-release urea had a positive effect on soil nematode community structure.