不同蔬菜与番茄轮作对设施土壤微生物多样性、酶活性及土壤理化性质的影响

【目的】番茄是一种受连作障碍影响明显的蔬菜作物,本试验旨在研究不同蔬菜作物与番茄轮作后对设施土壤微生物多样性、酶活性及土壤理化性质的影响,以期筛选出适宜与番茄轮作的蔬菜作物,为从设施栽培模式选择角度缓解或避免番茄连作障碍提供理论依据。【方法】试验以连续两茬种植番茄后分别种植大白菜(A)、黄瓜(B)、辣椒(C)、茄子(E)、秋葵(F)、西葫芦(G)6种作物为不同处理,以继续种植番茄(D)和休耕闲置土壤(H)为对照,采用16S rRNA和真菌ITS区测序、同时测定土壤酶活性、pH值、有机质含量、速效氮、磷、钾含量,研究不同蔬菜作物与番茄轮作对土壤微生物多样性、酶活性及土壤理化性质的影响。【结果】种植作物土壤细菌和真菌多样性指数均显著高于闲置土壤(H);番茄连作与轮作土壤中的细菌门水平群落结构比较固定,但不同物种的丰度差异较大。真菌对于环境变化的响应比细菌更加敏感,轮作各样本间真菌群落结构差异明显大于细菌群落结构,在物种丰度和门水平上均存在较大差异;轮作茄子和大白菜显著增加了土壤中硝化细菌[亚硝化单胞菌属(Nitrosomonas)、亚硝化螺菌属(Nitrosospira)]的丰度;PCA分析表明轮作茄子和空白闲置土壤细菌和真菌的群落结构与其他处理的差异较大;轮作不同作物土壤酶活性差异显著,但变化规律不明显。轮作大白菜、黄瓜和空白闲置土壤过氧化氢酶活性显著高于番茄连作和轮作其他作物。不同蔬菜轮作土壤肥力主成分分析结果表明土壤pH值、有机质、速效氮与速效磷是主要贡献因子,综合肥力排名第一的为空白土样,其次为轮作黄瓜的土样,综合肥力最低的为轮作茄子土样。【结论】种植作物可以显著提高土壤微生物多样性;轮作茄子和大白菜显著增加了土壤中硝化细菌的丰度,有利于土壤中氮素代谢和利用;轮作黄瓜和大白菜,显著提高土壤中过氧化氢酶的活性,有利于降低番茄连作产生的自毒作用。因此综合分析认为,茄子、黄瓜和大白菜是避免或缓解番茄连作障碍的潜在优势轮作作物。     

不同大豆连作年限对黑土细菌群落结构的影响

大豆连作导致作物产量下降、病原微生物富集和土壤退化等问题日趋严重。然而,目前关于大豆连作对土壤细菌群落结构组成及多样性分布的影响及发生机制尚不清楚。采用高通量测序技术,对大豆连作(不同年限)和大豆-玉米轮作下的黑土细菌16S rRNA基因进行测序分析。结果表明:轮作5年(CR5)和13年长期连作(CC13)处理显著增加了土壤pH、全氮(TN)、全磷(TP)和速效养分(AN、AP和AK)含量。与短期连作相比,CR5和CC13处理均提高了细菌群落的OTUs数量、PD值、Chao1指数和Shannon指数。聚类分析图谱结果显示细菌群落结构组成受到轮作和连作年限的双重影响,而土壤pH、TN、TP、AN、AP和AK是细菌群落结构发生变化的主要驱动因子(P0.05)。此外,VPA分析发现上述土壤因子中,土壤pH对细菌群落结构变化的贡献度最大。本研究证明大豆长期连作提高了土壤养分含量和细菌群落的丰富度和多样性指数,从分子生物学的角度证实大豆长期连作在一定程度上改善了土壤环境,为大豆连作障碍的研究提供了理论依据。     

麦季牛场肥水灌溉对冬小麦-夏玉米产量与磷吸收利用及土壤剖面分布的影响

在华北平原灌溉区,采用冬小麦 夏玉米周年轮作田间试验,研究麦季牛场肥水灌溉对冬小麦和夏玉米产量、磷吸收量、磷累计利用率及土壤积累的影响.结果表明：麦季肥水灌溉能显著提高冬小麦和夏玉米产量,冬小麦产量随肥水带入磷的增加先增加后降低,肥水灌溉带入137 kg P₂O₅·hm^-2时冬小麦产量最高,磷的当季利用率较高,分别为7646.4 kg·hm^-2和24.8%,肥水灌溉带入过量磷会降低冬小麦产量和磷当季利用率;夏玉米产量和磷素吸收量随冬小麦季肥水灌溉带入磷量增加而增加,后季夏玉米产量增加2222.4～2628.6 kg·hm^-2,磷吸收量增加13.9～21.1 kg·hm^-2.农民习惯施肥处理夏玉米当季施磷88 kg P₂O₅·hm^-2时,与不施肥处理相比,夏玉米产量增加2235.0 kg·hm^-2.随着牛场肥水灌溉年限的推移,作物增产效果逐渐明显,冬小麦 夏玉米轮作体系作物累计磷利用率逐年升高,6季作物收获后,磷累计利用率达40.0%～47.7%.试验条件下,
冬小麦 夏玉米轮作体系进行2次肥水灌溉是较经济安全的灌溉模式.     

玉米/花生间作对土壤微生物和土壤养分状况的影响

通过大田试验,研究了玉米/花生间作对玉米和花生根区土壤微生物和土壤养分状况的影响.结果表明：与单作相比,间作能显著提高玉米和花生根区的土壤细菌数量;间作花生根区土壤真菌和放线菌数量与单作无显著差异;间作玉米根区土壤真菌和放线菌数量比单作明显提高;间作作物根区微生物群落功能多样性和代谢活性比单作有所改善.玉米/花生间作不同程度提高了整个间作系统根区的土壤碱解氮、速效磷、有机质含量及EC值,其中,间作玉米根区土壤养分的增加更为明显,说明玉米/花生间作可以较明显地改善两种作物根区的微生物和养分状况,土壤微生态环境的改善又会促进作物地上部的生长.     

不同草田轮作模式土壤养分及细菌群落组成特征

为研究不同草田轮作模式下土壤养分及细菌群落的组成特征,以5年紫花苜蓿-1年小麦(A5W1)、5年紫花苜蓿-1年玉米(A5C1)、5年紫花苜蓿-2年小麦(A5W2)和5年紫花苜蓿-2年玉米(A5C2)草田轮作模式为对象,测定了土壤有机质、全氮、全磷、全钾、碱解氮、速效磷和速效钾含量,在此基础上,基于16S rRNA基因序列扩增子测序研究了4种轮作模式下耕层土壤细菌群落组成特征。结果表明:轮作第2年各土壤养分含量较第1年显著下降。细菌组成研究结果显示,4种轮作模式下占优势的菌门为变形菌门、放线菌门和厚壁菌门。土壤细菌群落优势属以丙酸杆菌属(Propionibacterium)、芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)、链球菌属(Streptococcus)以及奈瑟氏球菌属(Neisseria)为主。土壤细菌多样性以A5C2轮作处理最高,A5C1最低;聚类分析显示A5W1和A5C1的组成最接近,其次是A5C2,A5W2的组成与前两者相差较大。土壤养分含量与几种优势属之间呈显著相关性(P0.05 or P0.01)。研究结果揭示了河西走廊灌溉区种植紫花苜蓿多年后轮作小麦和玉米改善土壤肥力和防治某些土传植物病害微生物的机理。     

黄土高原苜蓿-粮食作物轮作下土壤细菌群落特征和生态功能预测

为揭示多年种植苜蓿后轮作不同作物对黄绵土细菌群落的影响,本研究通过布设在黄土高原雨养农业区的长期定位试验,采用16S rRNA基因高通量测序技术和PICRUSt方法探究苜蓿(LC)、苜蓿-休闲-小麦(L_FW)、苜蓿-休闲-玉米(L_FC)、苜蓿-马铃薯(LP)与苜蓿-谷子(LM)对土壤细菌群落结构和多样性的影响,并利用PICRUSt法预测了其生态功能。结果表明: 半干旱区黄绵土细菌优势门为放线菌门(20.3%～32.0%)、变形菌门(19.2%～23.0%)、酸杆菌门(12.4%～14.2%)和绿弯菌门(11.0%～12.7%),其中苜蓿翻耕轮作玉米土壤优势细菌属为芽孢杆菌属(1.9%),其余处理土壤细菌优势属均为假节杆菌属(2.5%)。多年生苜蓿翻耕轮作不同粮食作物后显著降低了放线菌门相对丰度,但显著提高了绿弯菌门和厚壁菌门的相对丰度。冗余分析表明,影响苜蓿及轮作作物土壤细菌群落结构的主要环境因子是硝态氮、铵态氮和全氮。PICRUSt功能预测结果表明,新陈代谢(78.6%～79.1%)为黄绵土细菌群落的主要功能,苜蓿翻耕轮作作物显著降低了土壤细菌碳水化合物代谢功能基因丰度,但明显提高了土壤细菌辅助因子和维生素代谢、神经退行性疾病、免疫系统等功能基因丰度。综上,多年生苜蓿翻耕轮作一年生作物改变了土壤细菌群落结构和生态功能,该结果可为黄绵土细菌群落演替特征的探索和苜蓿适宜后茬作物的确定提供理论参考。     

绿肥配施氮肥对岩溶区稻田土壤微生物群落的影响

绿肥参与耕作改制是土壤培肥及作物增产的有效措施,对土壤微生物群落结构及多样性的影响至关重要。【目的】研究绿肥配施氮肥对岩溶区稻田土壤微生物群落结构的影响,阐明微生物、土壤生态环境因子及作物产量的相互关系,为岩溶稻区绿肥替代氮肥提供理论依据和数据支撑。【方法】以典型岩溶稻田土壤为研究对象,设置冬闲+不施氮肥(CK)、冬闲+氮肥(N)、绿肥+不施氮肥(M)、绿肥+氮肥(MN) 4个处理,通过3年田间定位试验,对土壤微生物进行高通量测序,解析不同施肥处理对细菌和真菌群落的影响。【结果】与CK相比,MN处理显著提高了早稻产量,提升了土壤有机质、全氮、碱解氮和速效钾含量,降低了速效磷含量。MN处理显著提高细菌群落丰富度及多样性,而真菌群落丰富度和多样性在MN处理有降低趋势。岩溶稻田土壤优势细菌类群主要为Chloroflexi、Proteobacteria和Acidobacteria等,优势真菌类群主要为Ascomycota、Basidiomycota和Zygomycota等。冗余分析(RDA)结果表明,土壤速效钾是影响土壤细菌群落组成的关键环境因子。共现网络分析结果表明,细菌-真菌群落交互关系主...     

保护性耕作对陇东黄土高原轮作田杂草的影响

以陇东黄土高原旱地连续12年保护性耕作为基础,通过田间取样调查,研究了4种耕作措施下冬小麦-箭筈豌豆-玉米轮作田中杂草的组成和群落特征.结果表明： 不同作物生长期的杂草种类、密度和群落特征各异.免耕使冬小麦生长期杂草密度显著增大,轮作箭筈豌豆后免耕处理的杂草密度变小;秸秆覆盖显著降低了玉米生长期的杂草密度,玉米生长期免耕+秸秆覆盖处理的杂草密度最低.冬小麦和箭筈豌豆轮作前后杂草的群落多样性特征完全相反,从冬小麦生长期到箭筈豌豆生长期,免耕处理杂草群落的多样性指数先高于常规耕作处理,后期低于常规耕作处理;玉米生长期免耕处理的多样性指数均大于其他3种处理.因此,免耕和秸秆覆盖在一些作物生长期能抑制杂草的发生和分布,3种作物轮作对杂草防治具有明显作用.     

稻田水旱复种轮作对作物产量及土壤养分的影响

为了筛选具有可持续性、适合南方稻田的水旱复种轮作种植模式,以"冬闲-早稻-晚稻"模式连作为对照处理A,设计了4种稻田水旱复种轮作模式(马铃薯-玉米‖大豆-晚稻→蔬菜-花生‖玉米-晚稻→绿肥-早稻-晚稻(B),蔬菜-花生‖玉米-晚稻→紫云英-早稻-晚稻→油菜-花生-晚稻(C),绿肥-早稻-晚稻→油菜-花生-晚稻→马铃薯-玉米‖大豆-晚稻(D),油菜-花生-晚稻→马铃薯-玉米‖大豆-晚稻→蔬菜-花生‖玉米-晚稻(E))。通过2014—2016年连续3年的田间定位试验,分析了不同种植模式下的作物产量,主要是晚稻产量,以及土壤养分变化情况。结果表明:水旱复种轮作模式更具有产量优势,晚稻产量均高于冬闲连作模式;与冬闲连作对照相比,其他模式的土壤有机质含量、速效养分含量均有所提高,同时更加有利于固定有机碳;稻田水旱复种轮作模式是一种增产、改善土壤肥力的种植模式;处理C和处理E表现较好。     

华北平原冬小麦/夏玉米轮作体系土壤硝态氮的适宜含量

采用冬小麦季不同施氮处理(夏玉米季不施氮)研究了华北平原冬小麦/夏玉米轮作体系夏玉米季土壤硝态氮的适宜含量.结果表明:在播前土壤无机氮含量较高的条件下,冬小麦季施用150kgN.hm-2即可满足冬小麦/夏玉米两季作物的氮素需求;各氮肥处理在冬小麦季的氮肥施用当季的利用率仅为11%～23%,在夏玉米季氮肥残效利用率则高达30%～52%.当夏玉米播前0～90cm土层硝态氮含量达到82kg.hm-2时,无需施氮即可保证夏玉米十叶期的生长,达到151kg.hm-2时,无需施氮即可保证整个生育期的生长.夏玉米十叶期和收获后0～90cm土层硝态氮含量低于46和65kg.hm-2时,则影响作物正常生长.综合考虑产量和环境效应,冬小麦/夏玉米轮作体系中0～90cm土层硝态氮含量应控制在65～151kg.hm-2之间.     

Variation of Bacterial Community Diversity in Rhizosphere Soil of Sole-Cropped versus Intercropped Wheat Field after Harvest

As the major crops in north China, spring crops are usually planted from April through May every spring and harvested in fall. Wheat is also a very common crop traditionally planted in fall or spring and harvested in summer year by year. This continuous cropping system exhibited the disadvantages of reducing the fertility of soil through decreasing microbial diversity. Thus, management of microbial diversity in the rhizosphere plays a vital role in sustainable crop production. In this study, ten common spring crops in north China were chosen sole-cropped and four were chosen intercropped with peanut in wheat fields after harvest. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and DNA sequencing of one 16S rDNA fragment were used to analyze the bacterial diversity and species identification. DGGE profiles showed the bacterial community diversity in rhizosphere soil samples varied among various crops under different cropping systems, more diverse under intercropping system than under sole-cropping. Some intercropping-specific bands in DGGE profiles suggested that several bacterial species were stimulated by intercropping systems specifically. Furthermore, the identification of these dominant and functional bacteria by DNA sequencing indicated that intercropping systems are more beneficial to improve soil fertility. Compared to intercropping systems, we also observed changes in microbial community of rhizosphere soil under sole-crops. The rhizosphere bacterial community structure in spring crops showed a strong crop species-specific pattern. More importantly, Empedobacter brevis, a typical plant pathogen, was only found in the carrot rhizosphere, suggesting carrot should be sown prudently. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that crop species and cropping systems had significant effects on bacterial community diversity in the rhizosphere soils. We strongly suggest sorghum, glutinous millet and buckwheat could be taken into account as intercropping crops with peanut; while hulled oat, mung bean or foxtail millet could be considered for sowing in wheat fields after harvest in North China.     

Increasing Crop Diversity Mitigates Weather Variations and Improves Yield Stability

Cropping sequence diversification provides a systems approach to reduce yield variations and improve resilience to multiple environmental stresses. Yield advantages of more diverse crop rotations and their synergistic effects with reduced tillage are well documented, but few studies have quantified the impact of these management practices on yields and their stability when soil moisture is limiting or in excess. Using yield and weather data obtained from a 31-year long term rotation and tillage trial in Ontario, we tested whether crop rotation diversity is associated with greater yield stability when abnormal weather conditions occur. We used parametric and non-parametric approaches to quantify the impact of rotation diversity (monocrop, 2-crops, 3-crops without or with one or two legume cover crops) and tillage (conventional or reduced tillage) on yield probabilities and the benefits of crop diversity under different soil moisture and temperature scenarios. Although the magnitude of rotation benefits varied with crops, weather patterns and tillage, yield stability significantly increased when corn and soybean were integrated into more diverse rotations. Introducing small grains into short corn-soybean rotation was enough to provide substantial benefits on long-term soybean yields and their stability while the effects on corn were mostly associated with the temporal niche provided by small grains for underseeded red clover or alfalfa. Crop diversification strategies increased the probability of harnessing favorable growing conditions while decreasing the risk of crop failure. In hot and dry years, diversification of corn-soybean rotations and reduced tillage increased yield by 7% and 22% for corn and soybean respectively. Given the additional advantages associated with cropping system diversification, such a strategy provides a more comprehensive approach to lowering yield variability and improving the resilience of cropping systems to multiple environmental stresses. This could help to sustain future yield levels in challenging production environments.     

Pyrosequencing Reveals Contrasting Soil Bacterial Diversity and Community Structure of Two Main Winter Wheat Cropping Systems in China

Microbes are key components of the soil environment, playing an important role in maintaining soil health, sustainability, and productivity. The composition and structure of soil bacterial communities were examined in winter wheat–rice (WR) and winter wheat–maize (WM) cropping systems derived from five locations in the Low-Middle Yangtze River plain and the Huang-Huai-Hai plain by pyrosequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicons. A total of 102,367 high quality sequences were used for multivariate statistical analysis and to test for correlation between community structure and environmental variables such as crop rotations, soil properties, and locations. The most abundant phyla across all soil samples were Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Similar patterns of bacterial diversity and community structure were observed within the same cropping systems, and a higher relative abundance of anaerobic bacteria was found in WR compared to WM cropping systems. Variance partitioning analysis revealed complex relationships between bacterial community and environmental variables. The effect of crop rotations was low but significant, and interactions among soil properties, locations, and crop rotations accounted for most of the explained variation in the structure of bacterial communities. Soil properties such as pH, available P, and available K showed higher correlations (positive or negative) with the majority of the abundant taxa. Bacterial diversity (the Shannon index) and richness (Chao1 and ACE) were higher under WR than WM cropping systems.     

Changes in N-transforming archaea and bacteria in soil during the establishment of bioenergy crops

Widespread adaptation of biomass production for bioenergy may influence important biogeochemical functions in the landscape, which are mainly carried out by soil microbes. Here we explore the impact of four potential bioenergy feedstock crops (maize, switchgrass, Miscanthus X giganteus, and mixed tallgrass prairie) on nitrogen cycling microorganisms in the soil by monitoring the changes in the quantity (real-time PCR) and diversity (barcoded pyrosequencing) of key functional genes (nifH, bacterial/archaeal amoA and nosZ) and 16S rRNA genes over two years after bioenergy crop establishment. The quantities of these N-cycling genes were relatively stable in all four crops, except maize (the only fertilized crop), in which the population size of AOB doubled in less than 3 months. The nitrification rate was significantly correlated with the quantity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) not bacteria (AOB), indicating that archaea were the major ammonia oxidizers. Deep sequencing revealed high diversity of nifH, archaeal amoA, bacterial amoA, nosZ and 16S rRNA genes, with 229, 309, 330, 331 and 8989 OTUs observed, respectively. Rarefaction analysis revealed the diversity of archaeal amoA in maize markedly decreased in the second year. Ordination analysis of T-RFLP and pyrosequencing results showed that the N-transforming microbial community structures in the soil under these crops gradually differentiated. Thus far, our two-year study has shown that specific N-transforming microbial communities develop in the soil in response to planting different bioenergy crops, and each functional group responded in a different way. Our results also suggest that cultivation of maize with N-fertilization increases the abundance of AOB and denitrifiers, reduces the diversity of AOA, and results in significant changes in the structure of denitrification community.     

Crop rotation

Crop rotation has been used for thousands of years. During the 1950s and early 1960s, it was felt that synthetic fertilizers and pesticides could forever replace crop rotation without loss of yield, but that opinion has changed. The current consensus is that crop rotation increases yield and profit and allows for sustained production. For example, maize, in a 2‐year rotation with soybean, yields 5 to 20% more than continuous maize, and no amount of fertilizer or pesticide can compensate completely for that difference. It is not well understood what causes the rotation effect, but improvements in soil physical properties and soil organic matter probably play a beneficial role in rotations that include multiple years of sod, pasture, or hay. Short rotations such as maize‐soybean actually result in a degradation in those same factors, yet the rotation effect still is realized. Recent information suggests that soilborne pathogens may be responsible for the yield depression seen with continuous monoculture.     

Effect of long‐term mineral fertilisation on soil microbial abundance,community structure and diversity in a Typic Hapludoll under intensive farming systems

Fertiliser application can not only influence plant communities, but also the soil microbial community dynamics, and consequently soil quality. Specifically, mineral fertilisation can directly or indirectly affect soil chemical properties, microbial abundance and, the structure and diversity of soil microbial communities. We investigated the impact of six different mineral fertiliser regimes in a maize/soybean rotation system: control (CK, without fertilisation), PS (application of phosphorus plus sulphur), NS (application of nitrogen plus S), NP (application of N plus P), NPS (application of N, P plus S) and NPSm (application of N, P, S plus micronutrients). Soil samples were collected at the physiological maturity stage of maize and soybean in March of 2013 and 2014, respectively. Overall, mineral fertilisation resulted in significantly decreased soil pH and increased total organic carbon compared with the control (CK). The analysis of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T‐RFLP) revealed that mineral fertilisers caused a shift in the composition of both bacterial and fungal communities. In 2013, the highest value of Shannon diversity of bacterial terminal restriction fragments (TRFs) was found in control soils. In 2014, NPSm treated soils showed the lowest values of diversity for both bacterial and fungal TRFs. In both crop growing seasons, the analysis of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) detected the lowest value of total microbial biomass under CK. As PLFA analysis can be used to evaluate total microbial community, this result suggests that fertilisation increased total microbial biomass. When the bacterial and fungal abundance were examined using real time polymerase chain reaction, the results revealed that mineral fertilisation led to decreased bacterial abundance (16S rRNA), while fungal abundance (18S rRNA) was found to be increased in both crop growing seasons. Our results show that mineral fertiliser application has a significant impact on soil properties, bacterial and fungal abundance and microbial diversity. However, further studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms involved in the changes to microbial communities as a consequence of mineral fertilisation.     

不同填闲模式对黄瓜根际土壤酶活性及细菌群落的影响

以温室连作3年黄瓜土壤为研究对象,以黄瓜为主栽作物,以青葱、小麦、油菜为不同季节填闲作物设置盆栽试验,采用常规化学方法、PCR-DGGE及qPCR技术,研究不同填闲模式对黄瓜土壤酶活性及细菌群落的影响.结果表明: 随着种植茬次的增加,填闲小麦处理的土壤脲酶、中性磷酸酶及转化酶活性均显著高于填闲青葱和油菜处理,同时油菜处理显著高于青葱处理;不同填闲模式间黄瓜根际土壤细菌群落结构不同,冬季填闲青葱和夏季填闲小麦处理维持了相对较高的多样性指数.qPCR检测结果表明: 随着种植茬次的增加,小麦处理的土壤细菌数量显著高于青葱和油菜处理.综上,不同填闲模式对土壤酶活性和细菌群落均产生一定影响,改变了土壤环境,其中夏季填闲小麦能保持相对较高的土壤酶活性、土壤细菌群落结构多样性及细菌数量.
     

Some measures of reducing leaching loss of nitrates beyond potential rooting zone

Summary Distribution of nitrates in soil profiles under eight different crop rotations was studied after the harvest of various constituent crops. Nitrate distribution patterns at different dates reveal that maximum leaching loss of nitrates occurs from rotations consisting of heavily fertilized shallow rooted crops like potato. Wheat and maize, in a rotation reduce nitrate leaching to deeper soil layers because of their deep and extensive rooting systems. In rainy season, when maximum movement of nitrates occurs in the profile, raising of deep rooted crops like maize leaves for leaching only a small amount of nitrates as compared to crops like groundnut and soybean with shallow rooting systems and low N-requirement. Summer season crops like moong, cowpeas and maize (fodder), do not alter nitrate distribution patterns, unless a large amount of nitrates is present in the profile prior to their sowing.Post-graduate student and Professor of Soils, respectivelyPost-graduate student and Professor of Soils, respectively     

Effects of Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) Rotations with Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) on Nematode Populations and Soil Microflora

A 3-year field rotation study was conducted to assess the potential of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) to suppress root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne arenaria), southern blight (Sclerotium rolfsii), and aflatoxigenic fungi (Aspergillus sp.) in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and to assess shifts in microbial populations following crop rotation. Switchgrass did not support populations of root-knot nematodes but supported high populations of nonparasitic nematodes. Peanut with no nematicide applied and following 2 years of switchgrass had the same nematode populations as continuous peanut plus nematicide. Neither previous crop nor nematicide significantly reduced the incidence of pods infected with Aspergillus. However, pod invasion by A. flavus was highest in plots previously planted with peanut and not treated with nematicide. Peanut with nematicide applied at planting following 2 years of switchgrass had significantly less incidence of southern blight than either continuous peanut without nematicide application or peanut without nematicide following 2 years of cotton. Peanut yield did not differ among rotations in either sample year. Effects of crop rotation on the microbial community structure associated with peanut were examined using indices for diversity, richness, and similarity derived from culture-based analyses. Continuous peanut supported a distinctly different rhizosphere bacterial microflora compared to peanut following 1 year of switchgrass, or continuous switchgrass. Richness and diversity indices for continuous peanut rhizosphere and geocarposphere were not consistently different from peanut following switchgrass, but always differed in the specific genera present. These shifts in community structure were associated with changes in parasitic nematode populations.