Organic Farming to Improve Soil Quality and the Functional Structure of Soil Microbial Communities

Ruilong Huang, Wei Li (), Mengting Niu and Bo Hu
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Ruilong Huang: College of Soil and Water Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
Wei Li: College of Soil and Water Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
Mengting Niu: College of Soil and Water Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
Bo Hu: College of Soil and Water Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-21

Abstract: Organic agriculture is widely regarded as an important approach to reducing biodiversity loss and promoting sustainable agricultural development compared to conventional agriculture. Notably, organic farming practices have substantially boosted the diversity of soil microbial communities. However, empirical studies on the functional structure of soil microbial communities in organic agroecosystems and the mechanisms influencing them remain relatively scarce. Using high-throughput sequencing technology, we analyzed soil microbial communities associated with organic (orange lands) and conventional (coffee and maize lands) farming practices in the Gaoligong Mountains (GLGM) region, with the aim of revealing differences in soil properties, microbial community structure, and functional composition across different agricultural management practices. The results revealed that organic farming boosted soil organic carbon and fertility, driving changes in the microbial community composition. Organic farming notably increased the abundance of bacterial functional groups involved in the carbon and nitrogen cycles but decreased the abundance of symbiotic fungi. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in the abundance of saprotrophic and pathogenic fungi between the organic and conventional farming systems. The present study demonstrates that organic farming enhances the functional roles of oil microorganisms in nutrient cycling and overall ecosystem processes by enhancing soil’s organic carbon content and soil fertility, thereby modifying the soil’s microbial community structure and functions. Overall, organic farming contributes to improvements in soil health and supports the sustainable development of agriculture in the GLGM region.

Keywords: organic agriculture; soil organic carbon; soil bacterial communities; soil fungal communities; function prediction; Gaoligong Mountains (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: 2025
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