Summary
This rhizotron study demonstrates that crop rotation position exerts a persistent legacy on soil microbial communities and nitrogen cycling in winter wheat production systems. Winter wheat in self-succession (W2) showed elevated gene abundances associated with ammonia oxidation and denitrification compared to wheat following oilseed rape (W1), despite similar microbial diversity. The findings suggest that plant-soil-microbe interactions, mediated by preceding crop residue quality and rotational history, are critical mechanisms underlying yield decline in successive wheat monoculture.
UK applicability
These findings are directly applicable to UK cereal production, where winter wheat rotations with oilseed rape are common. Understanding the microbial drivers of wheat monoculture decline could inform rotation design recommendations for UK farmers seeking to maintain productivity without intensive nitrogen inputs.
Key measures
Bacterial and archaeal alpha and beta diversity; amoA, nifH, and nirS gene copy numbers; leucine aminopeptidase and β-glucosidase enzyme activities; soil nitrate content at two growth stages (tillering and grain ripening); soil depth effects (0–60 cm and 60–100 cm layers)
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil bacterial and archaeal community composition, nitrogen cycling gene abundance, enzyme activities, and nitrate content in winter wheat grown after oilseed rape versus in self-succession. Rotational position significantly shaped microbial communities and nitrogen cycling, with higher gene copy numbers for ammonia-oxidising bacteria and denitrification genes observed in self-succession wheat.
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