Intercropping in Coconut Plantations Regulate Soil Characteristics by Microbial Communities

Chaoqun Tong, Ruoyun Yu, Siting Chen, An Hu, Zhiguo Dong, Longxiang Tang, Lilan Lu, Weibo Yang () and Rongshu Dong
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Chaoqun Tong: Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang 571339, China
Ruoyun Yu: Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang 571339, China
Siting Chen: Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang 571339, China
An Hu: Tropical Crop Germplasm Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Zhiguo Dong: Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang 571339, China
Longxiang Tang: Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang 571339, China
Lilan Lu: Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang 571339, China
Weibo Yang: Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang 571339, China
Rongshu Dong: Tropical Crop Germplasm Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-13

Abstract: Intercropping is a commonly employed agricultural technique that offers numerous advantages, such as increasing land productivity, enhancing soil health, and controlling soil-borne pathogens. In this study, Artemisia argyi , Dioscorea esculenta , and Arachis pintoi were intercropped with coconuts and compared with naturally growing weeds ( Bidens pilosa ), respectively. The regulatory mechanism of intercropping was examined by analyzing the variability in soil properties and microbial community structure across different intercropping modes and soil depths (0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, and 40–60 cm). The results indicate that intercropping can increase the diversity of soil bacteria and fungi. Moreover, as soil depth increases, the changes in microbial communities weaken. Intercropping reduced soil SOM and increased pH, which is directly related to the changes in the abundance of Acidobacteria in the soil. In various intercropping systems, the disparities resulting from intercropping with A. pintoi are particularly pronounced. Specifically, intercropping with A. pintoi leads to an increase in soil potassium and phosphorus levels, as well as an enhancement in the abundance of Bacillus sp., which plays a crucial role in the suppression of plant pathogenic fungi within the soil ecosystem. The results of the correlation analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) suggest that the impacts of three intercropping systems on microbial composition and soil indicators exhibit considerable variation. However, a common critical factor influencing these effects is the soil phosphorus content. Furthermore, our findings indicate that intercropping resulted in lower soil nitrogen levels, exacerbating nitrogen deficiency and masking its impact on the microbial community composition.

Keywords: coconut; intercropping; soil microorganism; soil nutrition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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