Decomposition of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase transgenic maize straw and its effects on soil microbial biomass and microbiota diversity

Abstract Present study aims to explore the impact of the decomposition of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) transgenic maize straw on soil microbial biomass and microbiota diversity. A 210-day decomposition experiment was conducted with straws of transgenic maize BZ-136 and non-transgenic maize Zheng58 in both neutral and saline-alkali soils. The results showed that the dry weight of straw residues from transgenic maize planted in saline-alkali soil (AB) was 0.040 g less than that of straw residues from non-transgenic maize planted in saline-alkali soil (AZ) at 30 d (p   0.05). At 30 d, microbial biomass carbon (MBC) of NB was 158.64 mg·kg−1 higher than that of NZ (p