Three-year continuous maize cropping improves saline-alkali soil microenvironment and crop productivity.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Soil Science
• Microbiology

Background:

• Soda saline-alkali land poses challenges to food security and ecological health.
• Rhizosphere microorganisms are crucial for ameliorating saline-alkali soils through plant cultivation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of maize cultivation on the rhizosphere microbial community in saline-alkali soil.
• To investigate the relationships between microbial diversity, soil properties, enzyme activities, and crop yield over three years.

Main Methods:

• A 3-year field experiment was conducted in Daqing, China.
• High-throughput sequencing was used to analyze maize rhizosphere microbial communities.
• Soil properties, enzyme activities, and plant yield were monitored.

Main Results:

• Soil pH and total salt decreased, while available nutrients and enzyme activities increased annually.
• Maize yield showed significant annual increases.
• Specific bacterial (Blastococcus, Bacillus, Nocardioides) and fungal (Tausonia, Mortierella, Gibellulopsis) genera were identified as key influencers of soil properties and enzyme activities.

Conclusions:

• Three years of maize cultivation effectively improved soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities.
• Maize cultivation restructured the rhizosphere microbial community, with distinct bacterial and fungal responses.
• Findings provide a basis for using crop-microbe interactions in saline-alkali land remediation.