Soil Properties and Bacterial Communities Associated with the Rhizosphere of the Common Bean after Using Brachiaria brizantha as a Service Crop: A 10-Year Field Experiment

Carla L. Abán, Giovanni Larama, Antonella Ducci, Jorgelina Huidobro, Michel Abanto, Silvina Vargas-Gil () and Carolina Pérez-Brandan ()
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Carla L. Abán: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) CCT-Salta, J.M. Leguizamón 366, Salta 4400, Salta, Argentina
Giovanni Larama: Agriaquaculture Nutritional Genomic Center, CGNA, Las Heras 350, Temuco C.P. 4781158, Chile
Antonella Ducci: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) CCT-Salta, J.M. Leguizamón 366, Salta 4400, Salta, Argentina
Jorgelina Huidobro: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA)—Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Salta, Ruta Nacional 68, Km 172, Cerrillos C.P. 4403, Salta, Argentina
Michel Abanto: Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus (BIOREN), Universidad de La Frontera, Casilla 54-D, Francisco Salazar 01145, Temuco 4811230, Chile
Silvina Vargas-Gil: Instituto de Patología Vegetal (IPAVE)-Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola (UFYMA), CIAP, INTA, Camino 60 Cuadras, Km 5.5, Córdoba C.P. 5119, Córdoba, Argentina
Carolina Pérez-Brandan: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) CCT-Salta, J.M. Leguizamón 366, Salta 4400, Salta, Argentina

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-23

Abstract: Intensive agricultural farming practices, such as monoculture, require long bare fallow periods and the overuse of agrochemicals, which compromise soil health over time. Increasing plant diversity in agroecosystems with service crops represents a promising alternative to achieving sustainability goals. However, how specific cover crop species influence the abundance and structure of soil bacterial communities remains to be solved. In this study, we assessed the effects of B. brizantha in two different agricultural cycles for 10 years in a common bean monoculture system in the northwestern region of Argentina (NWA) by measuring chemical, physical, and microbiological parameters in the rhizosphere, as well as by screening the rhizobiome using 16S rRNA sequencing. The ten-year inclusion of B. brizantha had a positive impact on properties in the rhizosphere compared to the common bean monoculture. The bacterial beta-diversity was different among treatments, but not the alpha-diversity. The most abundant phyla were Actinobacteria , Proteobacteria , Acidobacteria , Chloroflexi and Myxococcota . The predicted functions related to chemoheterotrophy and aerobic chemoheterotrophy were increased under B. brizantha treatments compared to the bean monoculture. The inclusion of the pasture B. brizantha contributed to restoring soil health and minimizing soil degradation.

Keywords: service crops; bacterial rhizobiome; monoculture; sustainability; common bean; Brachiaria brizantha; soil properties; 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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