Functional diversity of rhizosphere soil microbial communities in response to different tillage and crop residue retention in a double-cropping rice field

Abstract

Microbial community functional diversity is a sensitive indicator of soil quality, soil management such as tillage and crop residue which can affect the microbial community functional diversity of paddy field. However, there is still limited information about the influence of different tillage and crop residue management on rhizosphere soil microbial community functional diversity in a double-cropping rice (Oryza sativa L.) field. Therefore, four tillage treatments were set up in paddy field, tillage treatments were included: conventional tillage with residue incorporation (CT), rotary tillage with residue incorporation (RT), no-tillage with residue retention (NT), and rotary tillage with residue removed as control (RTO). And the effects of CT, RT, NT, and RTO treatments on the average well color development (AWCD), genetic diversity indices and carbon source utilization of rhizosphere soil were studied in the present paper. The results showed that the values of AWCD with CT, RT and NT treatments were higher than that of RTO treatment. It was implied that application of crop residue management resulted in the variation of the carbon utilization efficiency of rhizosphere soil microbial communities. At maturity stages of early and late rice, the Richness indices, Shannon indices and McIntosh indices with CT treatment were significantly higher than that of RTO treatment, and with the order as CT>RT>NT>RTO. Principal component analysis (PCA) results indicated that there were significant differences in carbon substrate utilization patterns among different tillage treatments. Carbohydrates and amino acids were the main carbon resources utilized by rhizosphere soil microbes. Therefore, the combined application of tillage with crop residue management could significantly increase the rhizosphere soil microbial community functional diversity in the double-cropping paddy field of southern China.