Work

Crop-associated differentiation of rhizosphere microbial communities and soil functional traits in saline-alkaline farmland

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction Saline-alkaline soils constrain crop production, yet it remains unclear how different crops shape rhizosphere conditions, plant ion allocation and microbial communities when grown under the same field background. Methods We compared eight crops under uniform saline-alkaline field and management conditions and integrated rhizosphere physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, plant nutrient and ion traits, and bacterial and fungal community characteristics using a multivariate framework. Results Crop identity was associated with pronounced differences in nutrient status, salinity, moisture, enzyme activity and Na + and K + allocation, and explained 78.1% and 83.5% of bacterial and fungal community variation, respectively. Multiple factor analysis further separated the eight crops into two stable multivariate profiles, one characterized mainly by nutrient and enzyme traits and the other by higher salinity and greater contributions from Na + allocation traits. Discussion These findings demonstrate that crop-associated differentiation in saline-alkaline farmland reflects coordinated variation among soil conditions, plant ion regulation and microbial organization, providing an integrated basis for crop comparison and saline-alkaline soil management.

Source: Frontiers in Microbiology

DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1952914