Summary
This 36-year field study in China's Loess Plateau examined how long-term phosphorus, nitrogen, and manure application shaped soil bacterial communities and crop productivity across three contrasting systems: continuous alfalfa, continuous winter wheat, and grain-legume rotation. The findings demonstrated that fertilisation effects on soil microbiomes were system-dependent: bacterial richness and diversity increased in the leguminous system but decreased in the rotation system, with manure application amplifying differences between systems. The research underscores the importance of distinguishing between legume and non-legume cropping systems when evaluating microbial responses to fertilisation.
Regional applicability
The study was conducted in China's highland Loess Plateau region under specific environmental and agronomic conditions that differ from typical United Kingdom temperate agriculture. Whilst the mechanistic insights into system-dependent microbial responses to fertilisation may have conceptual relevance to UK mixed farming systems, direct transfer of findings should be cautious pending validation under UK soil and climate conditions.
Key measures
Soil bacterial richness and diversity; soil bacterial community composition; soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and available phosphorus contents; crop productivity; abundance of fertilisation-responsive microbial taxa
Outcomes reported
The study measured effects of 36 years of phosphorus, nitrogen, and manure application on soil bacterial communities, their functionality, and crop productivity across three contrasting cropping systems in the Loess Plateau. It documented how long-term fertilisation altered bacterial richness, diversity, and community composition differently depending on crop system type.
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