Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas with a significant impact on global warming and the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer.The primary source of nitrous oxide in agricultural soils is the excessive application of inorganic nitrogen during the crop growth stage.This gas is generated through the nitrification followed by denitrification processes facilitated by soil bacteria.We confirmed that supplying nitrogen through controlled-release fertilizer can effectively decrease the production of nitrous oxide while maintaining similar pepper growth compared to urea fertilizer treatment.The microbial community analysis revealed a reduction in nitrification-denitrification-related bacteria, which were typically increased by using urea fertilizer, when controlled-release fertilizer was employed.Additionally, the amplification of nirK and nosZ genes associated with denitrification in the soil bacterial community remained at a lower level compared to the urea fertilizer treatment group.These findings suggest that the utilization of controlled-release fertilizers effectively mitigates nitrous oxide emissions by reducing the population of denitrification-associated bacteria.The findings of this paper highlight that slow-release fertilizer not only functions as a growth promoter for peppers but also serves as an environmentally friendly option capable of suppressing nitrous oxide generation.