Turfgrass-dependent mycotrophic change enhances soil deterioration in dry, cold and high-alkali environments

Soil quality is undergoing severe degradation under anthropogenic effects. Different methods of land management have been implemented for soil reclamation, such as turfing. Although widely accepted to improve soil quality, turfing in specific environments may also culminate in soil deterioration. We aim to know how turfing impacts soils by changing mycobiomes.

The soil physicochemical properties and ITS metabarcoding were used to investigate mycobiome diversity and eco-function differences between the eudicot Dianthus plumarius and the monocot Poa pratensis in dry, cold, and high-alkali soil. The effects of plantation and the rhizosphere (e.g. root exudates) were tested. We showed that the change in soil mycobiomes in different planted bulk soils and rhizospheres could mainly be attributed to species turnover, with minor nestedness. Unexpectedly, the soil deteriorates more following turfing. The increasing saprotrophs in planted bulk soil were more marked in the monocot than in the eudicot, even the rhizosphere effect alleviated saprotrophic risks in the rhizosphere.

Turfing deteriorates the health of high-alkali soil by reducing nitrification, and upshift the soil saprotrophs in a dry and cold environment.