Tillage Effects on Bacterial Community Structure and Ecology in Seasonally Frozen Black Soils

Bin Liu, Zhenjiang Si, Yan Huang, Yanling Sun, Bai Wang () and An Ren ()
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Bin Liu: Heilongjiang Provincial Hydraulic Research Institute, Harbin 150080, China
Zhenjiang Si: School of Hydraulic and Electric Power, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
Yan Huang: Heilongjiang Provincial Hydraulic Research Institute, Harbin 150080, China
Yanling Sun: Heilongjiang Provincial Hydraulic Research Institute, Harbin 150080, China
Bai Wang: Heilongjiang Provincial Hydraulic Research Institute, Harbin 150080, China
An Ren: Heilongjiang Academy of Land Reclamation Sciences, Harbin 150038, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 20, 1-24

Abstract: Against the backdrop of global climate change intensifying seasonal freeze–thaw cycles, deteriorating soil conditions in farmland within seasonal frost zones constrain agricultural sustainability. This study employed an in situ field experiment during seasonal freeze–thaw periods in the black soil zone of Northeast China to investigate the joint regulatory effects of seasonal freeze–thaw processes and tillage practices on multidimensional features of soil bacterial communities. Key results demonstrate that soil bacterial communities possess self-reorganization capacity. α-diversity exhibited cyclical fluctuations: an initial decline followed by a rebound, ultimately approaching pre-freeze–thaw levels. Significant compositional shifts occurred throughout this process, with the frozen period (FP) representing the phase of maximal differentiation. Actinomycetota and Acidobacteriota consistently dominated as the predominant phyla, collectively accounting for 33.4–49% of relative abundance. Bacterial co-occurrence networks underwent dynamic topological restructuring in response to freeze–thaw stress. Period-specific response patterns supported sustained soil ecological functionality. Furthermore, NCM and NST analyses revealed that stochastic processes dominated community assembly during freeze–thaw (NCM R 2 > 0.75). Tillage practices modulated this stochastic–deterministic balance: no-tillage with straw mulching (NTS) shifted toward determinism (NST = 0.608 ± 0.224) during the thawed period (TP). Across the seasonal freeze–thaw process, soil temperature emerged as the primary driver of temporal community variations, while soil water content governed treatment-specific differences. This work provides a theoretical framework for exploring agricultural soil ecological evolution in seasonal frost zones.

Keywords: seasonal freeze–thaw; tillage practices; bacterial community; microbial co-occurrence network; microbial assembly (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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