Effects of different cover crop treatments on soil microbial community composition in kiwifruit orchard

• Main Authors: LI Qing-mei, ZHANG Ling-ling, ZHAO Jian-ning, ZHANG Yan-jun, LIU Hong-mei, WANG Hua-ling, WANG Hui, YANG Dian-lin, ZHANG Fan, WENG Chang-ming
• Format: Article
• Language: zho
• Published: Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture 2020-05-01
• Series: Journal of Agricultural Resources and Environment
• Subjects: cover crops, soil, phospholipid fatty acids, physicochemical factors, ecological orchard
• Online Access: http://www.aed.org.cn/nyzyyhjxb/html/2020/3/20200303.htm

In order to provide a theoretical basis for ecological management model in an orchard, we investigated the characteristics of soil microbial community composition under cover crop treatments in a kiwifruit orchard in the water source conservation area of Danjiangkou. We used the phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA)method to analyze the effects of different treatments(T1:Cover crop left on soil after cutting; T2:Cover crop and removed after cutting; CK:Clean tillage)on soil microbial community structure. The results showed that the total PLFAs, microbial biomass carbon, and nitrogen of cover crop treatments(T1 and T2)were significantly higher than that of CK(<i>P</i><0.05).Soil microbial community was influenced mainly by soil pH and carbon/nitrogen ratio. Soil pH was positively correlated with total PLFAs, bacteria PLFAs, Gram-negative bacteria PLFAs. And there was a positive relationship between Gram-positive bacteria PLFAs/Gram-negative bacteria PLFAs ratio and carbon/nitrogen ratio. In summary, intercropping cover crop in kiwifruit orchard changed soil environmental factors and impacted soil microbial community composition.