Does liming improve microbial carbon use efficiency after maize litter addition in a tropical acidic soil?

Abstract Soil pH is one of the main drivers soil microbial functions, including carbon use efficiency (CUE), microorganisms in converting substrate C into biomass, a key parameter for sequestration. We evaluated liming effects after maize-litter addition on total CUE (including residues), biomass (CUE MB ), and fungal an acidic Acrisol with low C. established 6-week incubation experiment to compare limed unlimed treatments reference soil, neighboring Nitisol optimal pH. Fungal (ergosterol) increased ~ 10 times litter compared soils without litter, final amount was greater than Nitisol. Litter induced positive priming effect that increasing The increases also led litter-derived CO 2 decreases particulate organic matter (POM)C. Thus, spite C, decreased similar across three soils. positively associated saprotrophic fungi, implying fungi are more efficient incorporating microbial, especially 42 days. By undecomposed maize residues, provided comprehensive interpretation . Nevertheless, longer-term studies may provide further information substrate-C turnover persistence effects.