Work

Effects of Different Cropping Patterns on Soil Microbial Community and Function in Ningxia Irrigation-Silted Soil

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Irrigation-silted soil in Ningxia represents a unique, anthropogenically modified agroecosystem, beneficial for regional food security. Yet, how different agricultural management techniques influence soil microbiome diversity remains poorly explored. Full-length amplicon sequencing (16S rRNA and ITS) was applied to assess the effects of vegetable and maize cultivation, relative to an uncultivated wasteland control, on soil bacterial and fungal community. Cropping patterns significantly influenced microbial alpha diversity, with contrasting effects on bacterial and fungal communities. Specifically, bacterial diversity peaked in vegetable fields, while fungal diversity was highest in maize fields. Both the bacterial and fungal community structures differed markedly among the three land-use types (p < 0.01). Although Pseudomonadota (among bacteria) and Ascomycota (among fungi) were the dominant phyla across all soils, each land-use type harbored distinct biomarkers. For example, vegetable fields facilitated the enrichment of the genus Fusarium, whereas maize fields were characterized by both Pseudomonadota and diverse saprotrophic fungi. Based on functional prediction, sulfur oxidation and cellulose decomposition were enhanced in soil with vegetable cultivation, while maize cultivation promoted relatively broader metabolic activity and enriched arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi compared with the control. Agricultural practices act as selective filters shaping soil microbial assembly and function, which provide a theoretical foundation for sustainable management strategies aimed at preserving soil health.

Source: Microorganisms

DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms14051089