Intercropping changed the soil microbial community composition but no significant effect on alpha diversity

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Soil Science
• Microbiology

Background:

• Forest-agricultural composite models require understanding intercropping impacts on soil properties and microbial communities for efficient land use.
• Optimizing forest-agricultural systems necessitates evaluating the effects of intercropping on soil physicochemical characteristics and microbial ecology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of intercropping Populus cathayana × candansis cv. Xinlin No.1 and Glycine max on soil physicochemical properties.
• To analyze the impact of intercropping on soil bacterial and fungal community composition and diversity using Illumina high-throughput sequencing.

Main Methods:

• Soil samples from intercropped and monocropped systems (Populus and Glycine max) were analyzed.
• Illumina high-throughput sequencing was employed to determine soil bacterial and fungal community composition and diversity.

Main Results:

• Intercropping increased soil total phosphorus and total carbon and nitrogen content, while decreasing the carbon-nitrogen ratio and soil pH.
• No significant effect on soil alpha diversity was observed, but intercropping altered microbial community composition, increasing fungal and decreasing bacterial relative abundance.
• Soil total phosphorus and available phosphorus correlated strongly with bacterial diversity, while soil pH correlated strongly with fungal diversity.

Conclusions:

• Intercropping poplar and soybean positively influences soil physicochemical properties and microbial community structure.
• Findings provide a theoretical basis for developing sustainable poplar and black bean-based forest-agricultural management systems.