Abstract
Sugarcane intercropping with soybean [Glycine max (Linn.) Merr.], mung bean [Vigna radiata (Linn.) Wilczek] and peanut (Arachis hypogaea Linn.) as well as a sugarcane monoculture were conducted to study the impacts of intercropping on soil biological characteristics and bacterial diversity. The results showed that soil cultivable microorganisms, the activities of soil enzymes and microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus were all significantly improved by intercropping with soybean and mung bean. Additionally, soil bacterial diversity and richness in sugarcane fields were also significantly enhanced by intercropping with soybean and mung bean. In addition, soil bacterial community structures in sugarcane fields can be altered by intercropping with different legumes. Proteobacteria, a high-nutrient-tolerant bacterial assemblage, became the dominant bacteria in the sugarcane-soybean and sugarcane-mung bean intercropped soils. Twenty four, 28, 26 and 27 dominant soil bacterial genera were found after the sugarcane-soybean, sugarcane-mung bean, sugarcane-peanut and sugarcane monoculture treatments, respectively. Sugarcane-mung bean intercropping being the most promising system for regaining and improving soil fertility and soil heath and facilitate agriculture intensification of sugarcane.
Highlights
Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is the primary source of sugar and is utilized as a major biofuel and bioenergy crop worldwide (Tomes et al, 2011; Chandel et al, 2012)
Proteobacteria are considered to be copiotrophic microorganisms, which thrive under conditions of high nutrient availability (Chen et al, 2016). These results suggest that legume intercropping promotes nutrient-tolerant soil bacterial community structures in sugarcane fields and positively impacts soil fertility
The conclusions are as follows: The biological indicators of soil fertility in sugarcane fields, such as the activities of soil cultivable microorganisms, soil enzymes (e.g., β-Glucosidase, acid phosphatase, and aminopeptidase) and microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, were all significantly improved by intercropping sugarcane with soybean and mung bean
Summary
Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is the primary source of sugar and is utilized as a major biofuel and bioenergy crop worldwide (Tomes et al, 2011; Chandel et al, 2012). China is the third largest sugar producing country in the world after Brazil and India. In China, approximately 90% of sugarcane crops are planted in the southern and southwest regions, which are mainly in Guangxi, Guangdong, and Yunnan Provinces. Among these provinces, Guangxi Province is the top sugarcane and sugar producer and accounts for more than 65% of the total sugar production in China (Li, 2004). The problem is worsened by the long-term overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to improve cane and sugar yields (Robinson et al, 2011). Long-term chemical fertilizer overuse negatively influences soil microbial ecology and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem function jas.ccsenet.org
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