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Crop diversification reinforces soil microbiome functions and soil health

Plant and Soil (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Intensive agriculture with continuous monocropping and massive chemical inputs has adversely affected belowground microbial composition and functions, resulting in soil sickness and negative feedbacks to crop growth and production. Crop diversification has been highlighted to address these problems in a more sustainable and ecological way by alterations of the temporal and spatial interactions between above- and belowground biota. However, the underlying mechanisms of crop diversity in alleviating monoculture soil sickness remain elusive. Here we propose that soil microbial networks could be a key entry point to understand the intercropping benefits on soil fertility and pathogen or pest control. Last, we raise some promising directions facing future challenges which might be beneficial to future agricultural managements and food security, and how to design an optimized cropping system to construct a healthier soil.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Program of Advanced Discipline Construction in Beijing (Agriculture Green Development), the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (Plant-Soil Interactions innovative research platform 1031-00100701), the Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 32072676, 42011045, 32122056, 42011045, 32122056, 31430014, 31872182) and the Chinese Universities Scientific Fund (2021TC060).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Guangzhou Wang & Wen-Feng Cong

  2. Key Laboratory of Plant–Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Guangzhou Wang & Wen-Feng Cong

  3. National Observation and Research Station of Agriculture Green Development (Quzhou, Hebei), China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Guangzhou Wang & Wen-Feng Cong

  4. College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China

    Xiaogang Li

  5. Department of Ecology, Nanjing University, 163# Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing, China

    Xinqiang Xi

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GW and WC conceived and designed the structure of the opinion. All authors wrote and edited the manuscript.

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Wang, G., Li, X., Xi, X. et al. Crop diversification reinforces soil microbiome functions and soil health. Plant Soil (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05436-y

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Keywords

  • Monoculture
  • Crop diversity
  • Soil sickness
  • Soil microbiome
  • Microbial network