Summary
This landscape-scale study examined how soil microbiota affect legume crop performance and identified the abiotic and management factors that predict those microbial services. Resident soil microbiota enhanced cowpea growth but showed negligible effects on soybean and lima bean; bioinoculant application altered microbial communities and root nodulation but did not improve crop growth. Soil nutrient composition correlated with shifts in microbial communities and plant growth benefits, with sterile soil controls confirming microbial mediation of these effects.
Regional applicability
The study was conducted across United States production farms and experiment stations. Findings on soil nutrient–microbiota–plant relationships and the potential for low-cost soil modifications to enhance microbial services are broadly transferable to United Kingdom legume production systems (particularly where cowpea, soybean, and lima bean are grown or considered), though cultivar-specific responses and local soil microbiota composition would require validation in UK conditions.
Key measures
Bacterial metabarcoding of soil microbial communities; soil physicochemical analysis (nutrient composition); root nodulation rates; plant growth metrics in six legume cultivars; plant responses in sterile vs. live soil inoculation treatments
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil microbial community composition, root nodulation capacity, and growth responses of six legume cultivars (cowpea, soybean, lima bean) to resident soil microbiota and bioinoculant treatments across 1000 km of production farms. Associations between soil nutrient profiles, planting history, bioinoculant application, and microbially-mediated growth effects were quantified.
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