Abstract
Organic greenhouse farming is an innovative system that may maintain a high yield and healthy agroecosystem. There have been no rigorous studies on the comparison of total and nitrogen-cycling bacterial community in vegetable soils between organic and conventional farming management at large scale. A survey of bacterial community and nitrogen cycles from soils under organic and conventional greenhouse farming was performed at 30 sites, covering seven soil types with 4 to 18 years of organic farming history. Communities of the total, diazotrophs and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were studied with high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA, nifH and amoA genes, respectively. Organic greenhouse farming did not influence alpha diversities. Beta diversities among the total (26/30) and diazotrophic (17/19) bacteria differed between farming systems, but compositional differences in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria between the two farming systems were only detected at 6 sites. Despite the effects of farming system on most bacterial genera were varied across different sites, organic greenhouse farming persistently selected for a few genera, possibly for the biodegradation of organic carbon with high molecular weight (Hyphomicrobium, Rubinisphaera, Aciditerrimonas, Planifilum, Phaselicystis, and Ohtaekwangia), but against putative ammonia oxidizing (Nitrosospira, Nitrosopumilus) and diazotrophic (Bradyrhizobium) bacterial genera, as determined by 16S rRNA analysis. Diazotrophic bacteria affiliated with nifH cluster 1J were preferentially associated with organic greenhouse farming, in contrast to Paenibacillus borealis. In summary, this study provides insights into the complex effects of organic greenhouse farming on the total, diazotrophic and ammonia oxidizing bacterial communities across different environmental context.
Highlights
Introduction260 million tons in 2014, accounting for 35% of the total vegetable production (National Bureau of Statistics of the People’s Republic of China [NBSC], 2014; Zhong Jing Hui Cheng Institute of Urban-Rural Planning and Design [ZIURPD], 2014)
In China, greenhouse vegetable production increased rapidly, with a yield of ca. 260 million tons in 2014, accounting for 35% of the total vegetable production (National Bureau of Statistics of the People’s Republic of China [NBSC], 2014; Zhong Jing Hui Cheng Institute of Urban-Rural Planning and Design [ZIURPD], 2014)
Permutation analysis confirmed that the bacterial community was significantly (p = 0; d = 20.2%) different between organic and conventional farming systems
Summary
260 million tons in 2014, accounting for 35% of the total vegetable production (National Bureau of Statistics of the People’s Republic of China [NBSC], 2014; Zhong Jing Hui Cheng Institute of Urban-Rural Planning and Design [ZIURPD], 2014). Intensive agricultural management, such as continuous cropping and overuse of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation or tillage, can maintain high but shortterm productivity. Whether organic greenhouse farming can mitigate climate warming is controversial (Searchinger et al, 2018; Smith et al, 2019), the positive effects of organic greenhouse farming on ecosystem functions such as soil fertility (Gomiero et al, 2011) and plant health (Van Bruggen et al, 2016) are very promising
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