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Soil pH and electrical conductivity are key edaphic factors shaping bacterial communities of greenhouse soils in Korea

  • Microbial Ecology and Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

Soil microorganisms play an essential role in soil ecosystem processes such as organic matter decomposition, nutrient cycling, and plant nutrient availability. The land use for greenhouse cultivation has been increasing continuously, which involves an intensive input of agricultural materials to enhance productivity; however, relatively little is known about bacterial communities in greenhouse soils. To assess the effects of environmental factors on the soil bacterial diversity and community composition, a total of 187 greenhouse soil samples collected across Korea were subjected to bacterial 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing analysis. A total of 11,865 operational taxonomic units at a 97% similarity cutoff level were detected from 847,560 sequences. Among nine soil factors evaluated; pH, electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+), available P2O5, organic matter, and NO3-N, soil pH was most strongly correlated with bacterial richness (polynomial regression, pH: R2 = 0.1683, P < 0.001) and diversity (pH: R2 = 0.1765, P < 0.001). Community dissimilarities (Bray-Curtis distance) were positively correlated with Euclidean distance for pH and EC (Mantel test, pH: r = 0.2672, P < 0.001; EC: r = 0.1473, P < 0.001). Among dominant phyla (> 1%), the relative abundances of Proteobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Planctomycetes were also more strongly correlated with pH and EC values, compared with other soil cation contents, such as Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+. Our results suggest that, despite the heterogeneity of various environmental variables, the bacterial communities of the intensively cultivated greenhouse soils were particularly influenced by soil pH and EC. These findings therefore shed light on the soil microbial ecology of greenhouse cultivation, which should be helpful for devising effective management strategies to enhance soil microbial diversity and improving crop productivity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institutes of Agricultural Sciences (NIAS), Rural Development Administration (RDA), Wanju, 55365, Republic of Korea

    Jeong Myeong Kim, Shin Ae Lee, Jae-Hyung Ahn, Jaekyeong Song & Hang-Yeon Weon

  2. Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Service (ARES), Hwaseong, 18388, Republic of Korea

    An-Sung Roh

  3. Gangwon-do ARES, Chuncheon, 24226, Republic of Korea

    Seung-Chul Choi

  4. Chungcheongbuk-do ARES, Cheongju, 28130, Republic of Korea

    Eun-Jeong Kim

  5. Chungcheongnam-do ARES, Yesan, 32418, Republic of Korea

    Moon-Tae Choi

  6. Jeollabuk-do ARES, Iksan, 54591, Republic of Korea

    Byung-Koo Ahn

  7. Jeollanam-do ARES, Naju, 58213, Republic of Korea

    Sun-Kuk Kim

  8. Gyeongsangnam-do ARES, Jinju, 52733, Republic of Korea

    Young-Han Lee

  9. Research Institute of Climate Change and Agriculture, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, RDA, Jeju, 63240, Republic of Korea

    Jae-Ho Joa

  10. Soil & Fertilization Division, NIAS, RDA, Wanju, 55365, Republic of Korea

    Seong-Soo Kang

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  1. Jeong Myeong Kim
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Correspondence to Hang-Yeon Weon.

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Kim, J.M., Roh, AS., Choi, SC. et al. Soil pH and electrical conductivity are key edaphic factors shaping bacterial communities of greenhouse soils in Korea. J Microbiol. 54, 838–845 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-016-6526-5

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