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Potato-onion intercropping enhances tomato yield and quality and modifies soil microbial diversity
Xingjia He1, Aijia Zhang1, Chenning Sha1
1College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, 163319, China.
Scientific Reports
|August 20, 2025
Summary
Intercropping tomato with potato and onion improves soil health and tomato yield. This sustainable practice enhances beneficial microbes and alters root distribution, boosting crop quality and reducing disease.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Soil Microbiology
- Plant Ecology
Background:
- Intercropping offers sustainable agricultural development by improving ecosystem stability and resource use efficiency.
- Understanding intercropping's impact on soil properties and microbial communities is crucial for optimizing crop production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of tomato/potato-onion intercropping on tomato root distribution, soil physicochemical properties, and rhizosphere microbial communities.
- To evaluate the impact of intercropping on tomato growth, yield, quality, and disease incidence.
Main Methods:
- Stratified subsection excavation, quantitative PCR, and Illumina MiSeq sequencing were used to analyze root distribution and microbial communities.
- Soil physicochemical properties (pH, NO3--N, AP, AK, EC) and tomato biomass, yield, and quality were measured.
- Redundancy analysis (RDA) and microbial co-occurrence network analysis were employed to assess community structure and relationships with environmental factors.
Main Results:
- Intercropping induced spatial adjustments in tomato root systems, increased soil pH, nutrient availability (NO3--N, AP, AK), and tomato yield and quality, while decreasing EC and blossom-end rot incidence.
- Intercropping enhanced alpha-diversity and altered bacterial and fungal community composition, increasing beneficial bacteria like Bacillus and Pseudomonas.
- Intercropping strengthened bacterial network connectivity but weakened fungal network connectivity in the tomato rhizosphere.
Conclusions:
- Tomato/potato-onion intercropping positively influences tomato growth, yield, and quality by modifying root distribution, enhancing soil properties, and restructuring the rhizosphere microbial community.
- The observed improvements in soil environment and microbial diversity under intercropping are key factors for promoting tomato growth and productivity.
- Intercropping represents a viable strategy for sustainable agriculture, enhancing soil health and crop performance.
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