Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Peer-reviewed

Interspecific Plant Interactions Drive Rhizosphere Microbiome Assembly to Alter Nutrient Cycling in Ilex asprella and Grona styracifolia

Ding Lu; Jixia Guo; Xin Yan; Quan Yang; Xilong Zheng

Microbiology Research · 2026

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Summary

To address the challenges of low land use efficiency, soil degradation, and high management costs in Ilex asprella cultivation, this study established an I. asprella–Grona styracifolia intercropping system and systematically evaluated its effects on soil nutrient cycling, microbial communities, and crop growth. Field experiments were conducted in Yunfu City, Guangdong Province, with monoculture (LCK for I. asprella, DCK for G. styracifolia) and three intercropping densities (HDT, LDT, MDT). Combining 16S rRNA sequencing and metagenomics, we analyzed the functional profile of the rhizosphere microbiome. The results showed that intercropping significantly increased the biomass of G. styracifolia, with the medium-density (MDT) treatment increasing plant length and fresh weight by 41.2% and 2.

Source type
Peer-reviewed study
DOI
10.3390/microbiolres17010024
Catalogue ID
NRmo9rin9c-0mh
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