The Effect of Intercropping Mulberry (Morus alba L.) with Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), on the Soil Rhizosphere Microbial Community

Abstract

China is a country dominated by agriculture, but due to its geographical reasons, the western Liaoning region has caused sandstorms, and the desertified soil has reduced crop yields and suppressed the agricultural economy. Therefore, the concept of ecological agriculture and the agroforestry system received extensive attention. Arachis hypogaea are the main crop in the north of China. At present, the research on peanuts mainly focuses on grain crop intercropping, and there is limited research on the agroforestry of peanuts. In addition, Morus alba is a restorative plant emerging in China in recent years, which takes into account both ecological and economic benefits. Based on the above problems, we intercropped mulberry and peanut to explore their effects on farmland soil characteristics and rhizosphere soil bacterial and fungal communities. Our study showed that intercropping did not improve soil nutrients, but significantly reduced soil C:N, and reduced soil C:P and N:P to some extent. Intercropping improves the diversity and richness of soil microorganisms in farmland. The abundance of dominant bacterial and fungal phyla and genera increased in the soil. Actinobacteria were significantly negatively correlated with N:P, Proteobacteria was negatively correlated with TP and positively correlated with N:P., Ascomycota was positively correlated with soil nutrients and C:N, while Basidiomycota and Mortierellomycota were negatively correlated; Mycobacterium and RB41 were significantly correlated with phosphorus in soil, and Talaromyces were significantly positively correlated with soil nutrients and C:N. In conclusion, mulberry and peanut intercropping promoted soil humus, increased soil-available phosphorus content, and provided a good environment for microbial growth. These results provide new ideas for peanut agroforestry production and theoretical support for the construction of mulberry and peanut composite systems in Northeast China.