Response of the wheat rhizosphere soil nematode community in wheat/walnut intercropping system in Xinjiang, Northwest China

Abstract

Intercropping Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) have been widely applied in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Northwest China as a means of reducing soil and water losses and improving both land-use efficiency and economic returns. To understand how changes in soil conditions and nematode community structure can contribute to the evaluation of wheat–walnut intercropping systems from the view of soil fauna, we studied the soil nematode community in wheat rhizosphere soil under both monoculture and intercropping systems for 2 years. The results showed that the pH and total nitrogen and organic matter contents in intercropping systems with walnut trees were decreased compared with those of system with wheat alone. The nematode communities differed significantly between intercropping and monoculture plots, e.g., Rhabditis and Dorylaimus were dominant only in monocultures, whereas Tylenchus was dominant only in intercropping systems. Moreover, intercropping systems resulted in decreased nematode abundance, increased proportions of plant-feeding nematodes, and decreased omnivores/predators, particularly in the second year (2012). The decrease in diversity indices (H′) and ecological indices (WI, EI, and SI) of the nematode communities indicated high disturbance and low soil fertility in intercropping systems. Overall, wheat intercropping with walnut had a significant negative effect on wheat rhizosphere soil conditions.