Fate of metal resistance genes in arable soil after manure application in a microcosm study

• Cu/Zn slowed down the dissipation of pcoA, pcoD and zntA in manure-amended soils.
• Manure contributed to the occurrence of Cu/Zn and the genes of pcoA, pcoD and zntA.
• The significant effect of manure on the accumulation of MRGs lasts for 1–2 months.

Manure application contributes to the spread and persistence of metal resistance genes (MRGs) in the environment. We investigated the fate of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) resistance genes (pcoA, pcoD and zntA) in arable soil after Cu/Zn-containing manure application. Manure with or without addition of metals (Cu/Zn) was added in a soil microcosm over 2 months. Soil samples were collected for analysis on day 0, 30 and 60. The abundances of all MRGs (pcoA, pcoD and zntA) in manure group were significantly higher than those in untreated soil and manure+metals groups. All MRGs dissipated 1.2–1.3 times faster in manure group (from −90±8% to −93±7%) than those in manure+metals group (from −68±8% to −78±5%). The results indicated that manure from healthy pigs contributed to the occurrence of metals (Cu/Zn) and MRGs (pcoA, pcoD and zntA) in arable soil. The significant effects of manure application on the accumulation of pcoA, pcoD and zntA lasted for 1–2 months. Cu/Zn can slow down the dissipation of pcoA, pcoD and zntA after manure application. This is the first report to investigate the fate of MRGs in soil after manure application.