Abstract:Objective To investigate the effects of combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil nutrient content and microbial community structures and functions in soybean fields, thus providing a scientific basis for rational fertilization and high-quality, high-yield soybean production.Methods Four fertilization treatments—control (CK: no fertilization), inorganic fertilizer (CF: compound fertilizer), organic fertilizer (OF: dry chicken manure), and combined organic-inorganic fertilizers (OCF: dry chicken manure+compound fertilizer)—were established. During the experiment, soil organic matter (SOM), alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), and microbial community structures and functions were measured to investigate the relationships between microbial communities and soil nutrients.Results Different fertilization treatments influenced soil nutrients in soybean fields. Compared with CK, the OCF treatment increased the soil SOM, AN, AP, and AK by 60.67% (P<0.05), 68.09% (P<0.001), 15.18 folds (P<0.001), and 59.54% (P<0.01), respectively, and it also increased soil pH. Amplicon sequencing indicated that different fertilization measures did not alter the community composition of soil microorganisms but changed the relative abundance of different phyla and genera. Compared with CK, the OCF treatment increased the relative abundance of Basidiomycota and Mortierellomycota by 5.62 folds and 4.51%, respectively, while decreasing that of Ascomycota by 38.35%. The OCF treatment reduced fungal community richness and diversity (P<0.05). The alpha diversity analysis revealed that both bacterial and fungal diversity decreased after organic fertilizer application, with fungal alpha diversity showing the most significant reduction (P<0.05). Functional prediction indicated that amino acid metabolism exhibited the highest relative abundance among metabolic pathways in bacterial communities, suggesting that the OCF treatment promoted metabolic processes centered on nitrogen assimilation and protein synthesis, facilitating bacterial participation in soil nutrient transformation. Under the OF treatment, symbiotropic fungi exhibited the highest relative abundance, which suggested that organic fertilizer promoted the ecological functions of fungi in soil nutrient cycling.Conclusion Combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers modulates soil pH, mitigates soil acidification, and enhances soil nutrient content. Fungal communities exhibit greater sensitivity to organic fertilizer application, which significantly reduces their diversity and stimulates the proliferation of certain pathogenic fungi. Conversely, inorganic fertilizer suppresses the relative abundance of pathogenic fungi. Thus, the combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers demonstrates distinct advantages in balancing soil nutrient supply with microbial community structure and optimizing soil microbial functional composition. This approach provides theoretical foundations and practical guidance for achieving efficient, green, and sustainable fertilization management in soybean fields.