Microbial inoculants, as harmless, efficient, and environmentally friendly plant growth promoters and soil conditioners, are attracting increasing attention. In this study, the effects of Bacillus velezensis YH-18 and B. velezensis YH-20 on Prunus davidiana growth and rhizosphere soil bacterial community in continuously cropped soil were investigated by inoculation tests. The results showed that in a pot seedling experiment, inoculation with YH-18 and YH-20 resulted in a certain degree of increase in diameter growth, plant height, and leaf area at different time periods of 180 days compared with the control. Moreover, after 30 and 90 days of inoculation, the available nutrients in the soil were effectively improved, which protected the continuously cropped soil from acidification. In addition, high-throughput sequencing showed that inoculation with microbial inoculants effectively slowed the decrease in soil microbial richness and diversity over a one-month period. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were significantly enriched on the 30th day. At the genus level, Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas were significantly enriched at 15 and 30 days, respectively. These bacterial phyla and genera can effectively improve the soil nutrient utilization rate, antagonize plant pathogenic bacteria, and benefit the growth of plants. Furthermore, inoculation with YH-18 and inoculation with YH-20 resulted in similar changes in the rhizosphere microbiome. This study provides a basis for the short-term effect of microbial inoculants on the P. davidiana rhizosphere microbiome and has application value for promoting the cultivation and production of high-quality fruit trees.

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