Rice-fish co-culture improves soil quality and microbial function: the role of fish refuge
摘要
The rice-fish co-culture (RF) is an eco-friendly agricultural production practice. However, research on the fertility and bacterial microbial diversity of soil in fish refuges and rice fields under long-term RF is relatively limited.
Materials and methodsThis research involved a two-year field experiment to compare soil fertility, enzyme activities, bacterial communities between the double cropping rice pattern (DR), the double cropping rice-fish co-culture pattern (DRF), and the fish refuge of DRF (DRF-D).
Results and discussionThe results indicated that, compared to DR, DRF and DRF-D significantly increased the contents of soil organic matter (SOM), pH, ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), and available potassium (AK) (p < 0.05). The fish activities facilitated the decomposition of SOM and enhanced the activities of urease, catalase, and sucrase. Although there is little difference in bacterial diversity among treatments, the relative abundance of key bacterial groups related to C and N cycling showed significant increases in DRF and DRF-D relative to DR (p < 0.05). Further analysis revealed that soil properties (e.g., NH4+-N, and AK) had significant effects on the structure and functional groups of bacterial communities, which collectively regulate soil C and N cycling.
ConclusionThis study indicates that the RF significantly impacts soil C and N cycling by influencing the structure and functional groups of bacterial communities.