Cropping practices manipulate abundance patterns of root and soil microbiome members paving the way to smart farming

Summary

This field experiment demonstrates that cropping practices—particularly management type and tillage intensity—significantly reshape root and soil microbiome composition in wheat systems, albeit explaining only ~10% of total microbial variation. Whilst microbial richness was largely unaffected, soil bacterial communities responded primarily to tillage whilst soil fungal communities were driven mainly by management type. The study identifies cropping-sensitive microbes as taxonomically diverse taxa responding in guilds, many of which are influential community members, suggesting that targeted microbiota management strategies for smart farming may be feasible with further functional characterisation.

UK applicability

The findings are directly relevant to UK farming systems, as both conventional and organic wheat production with varying tillage practices are widely employed across British arable regions. The study's emphasis on identifying microbiota manipulation strategies through cropping practices aligns with UK policy interest in sustainable intensification and regenerative agriculture, though the Swiss field conditions and specific cultivars used may differ from typical UK contexts.

Key measures

Microbial community composition and richness (bacterial and fungal taxa); proportion of variation in microbiota explained by cropping practices (~10%); identification of cropping-sensitive microbial taxa and their co-occurrence patterns

Outcomes reported

The study characterised soil bacterial and fungal communities, and wheat root microbiomes under different cropping management (conventional vs. organic) and tillage intensities. It quantified the proportion of microbial community variation explained by cropping practices and identified taxonomically diverse microbes responsive to specific agricultural practices.

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