Abstract
Paddy-upland rotation is an effective agricultural management practice for alleviating soil sickness. However, the effect of varying degrees of flooding on the soil microbial community and crop performance remains unclear. We conducted a pot experiment to determine the effects of two soil water content (SWC) and two flooding durations on the soil microbial community attributes and yield in cucumber. In the pot experiment, cucumber was rotated with cress single (45 days) or double (90 days) under 100 or 80% SWC. Then, the soil microbial were inoculated into sterilized soil to verified the relationship between cucumber growth and microorganisms. The results indicated single cress rotation resulted in a higher cucumber yield than double cress rotation and control. Cress rotation under 80% SWC had higher soil microbial diversity than cress rotation under 100% SWC and control. Flooding duration and SWC led to differences in the structure of soil microbial communities. Under 80% SWC, single cress rotation increased the relative abundance of potentially beneficial microorganisms, including Roseiflexus and Pseudallescheria spp., in cucumber rhizosphere. Under 100% SWC, single cress rotation increased the relative abundance of potentially beneficial bacteria, such as Haliangium spp., and decreased potential pathogenic fungi, such as Fusarium and Monographella spp., compared with double cress rotation and control. Varying degrees of flooding were causing the difference in diversity, structure and composition of soil microbial communities in the cucumber rhizosphere, which have a positive effect on cucumber growth and development.
Highlights
Soil sickness caused by continuous monocropping, which often manifests as decreased yields, is mainly the result of soil deterioration from a reduction in the number of key taxa and an accumulation of pathogens in the crop rhizosphere (Banerjee et al, 2019)
We propose the following hypotheses: (1) soil microbial community attributes will be differentiated according to varying degrees of flooding (2) a longer flooding duration (90 days) and higher water content (100%) have a stronger effect on soil microbial communities in the cucumber rhizosphere; and (3) cress rotation induces changes in the soil microbial community that improve cucumber rhizosphere health and crop growth
Cress rotation under 80% soil water content (SWC) and single cress rotation under 100% SWC increased the cucumber yield significantly compared with the control (P < 0.05)
Summary
Soil sickness caused by continuous monocropping, which often manifests as decreased yields, is mainly the result of soil deterioration from a reduction in the number of key taxa and an accumulation of pathogens in the crop rhizosphere (Banerjee et al, 2019). Crop rotation is considered the easiest to implement and proven beneficial for alleviating soil sickness (Tiemann et al, 2015). Drylands are especially sensitive to the changes in hydrology because flooding drastically affects both above – and underground ecosystem processes (Hou et al, 2017; Feng et al, 2020), such as the changes in the redox potential of the soil following flooding can eliminate toxic substances and soil pathogens (Lee et al, 2020). This study will reveal the significance of soil water and its possible impact, and help agriculture predict the possible impact of soil water changes on soil microbial and crop performance
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