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.