Abstract:Objective Both no-tillage with straw mulching and combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers can effectively enhance soil fertility. However, the mechanisms by which they influence microbial carbon and nitrogen turnover remain unclear.Methods Soil samples included conventional tillage (CK) as the control, along with two management treatments: soils under combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers (CM) and no-tillage with straw mulching (CT). By employing DNA-stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) with 13C-glucose in a laboratory microcosm incubation experiment, we investigated the responses of microbial activities in black soil to exogenous glucose and urea addition. Key processes examined included respiration, mineralization, dissimilatory decomposition (measured by 13C-CO2), assimilatory formation of stable organic carbon (measured by 13C-SOC), priming effects, N2O emissions, carbon neutrality, and active microorganisms.Results In the control treatment with water addition, soil microbial respiration and mineralization intensity followed the order of CK<CM<CT, which showed the maximum CO2 emission rates of 0.413, 0.589, and 0.615 μmol/(g?d), respectively. Exogenous carbon and nitrogen addition induced positive priming effect, with the intensity ranking as simultaneous carbon and nitrogen addition (Glu+N)>carbon-only addition (Glu)>nitrogen-only addition (N). However, the priming effect did not continuously enhance with the increase in the total amount of exogenous organic matter. Dissimilatory decomposition enhanced as the amount of exogenous addition increased, with cumulative 13C-CO2 emissions following the trend of CK (97.0 nmol/g)>CM (90.4 nmol/g)>CT (81.9 nmol/g). The content of stable 13C-SOC produced by microbial assimilation in CT was 296.4 nmol/g, higher than that in CM (263.5 nmol/g). The carbon use efficiency of soil in the three groups was approximately 80%, and about 30% of N2O emissions were offset by the formation of 13C-SOC. Carbon neutrality analysis revealed that the net CO2 emissions from CK and CT soil samples were 50% higher than those from the CM soil sample. Additionally, under the addition of exogenous carbon and nitrogen, the active ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms during microbial proliferation were primarily ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, specifically Nitrosospira.Conclusion CT demonstrates higher respiration, mineralization, and carbon sequestration capabilities and lower dissimilatory decomposition capability in enhancing soil fertility than CM, while it results in higher net CO2 emissions.