Changes in the Microbiome in the Soil of an American Ginseng Continuous Plantation

Abstract

American ginseng is an important herbal medicinal crop in China. In recent years, there has been an increasing market demand for ginseng, but the production area has been shrinking due to problems associated with continuous monocropping. We analyzed the microbiome in bulk soils to assess whether and, if so, what changes in the bulk soil microbiome are associated with continuous American ginseng cropping. The alpha diversity of fungi and bacteria was significantly lower in the soils planted with American ginseng than the virgin (non-planted) land. The relative abundance of Fusarium spp. and Ilyonectria spp., known plant root pathogens, was much higher in the soils cropped with American ginseng than the non-planted. On the other hand, a number of bacteria with biodegradation function, such as Methylibium spp., Sphingomonas spp., Variovorax spp., and Rubrivivax spp., had lower abundance in the soils cropped with American ginseng than the non-cropped. In addition, soil pH was lower in the field planted with American ginseng than the non-planted. Accumulation of fungal root pathogens and reduction of soil pH may, therefore, have contributed to the problems associated with continuous monocropping of American ginseng.

Interactions Between Phenolic Acids and Microorganisms in Rhizospheric Soil From Continuous Cropping of Panax notoginseng

“…Phenolic acids reduce the uniformity of fungi, which is beneficial to the enrichment of some fungi, but this is not beneficial for plants. Because most plant diseases are caused by fungi, the accumulation of rhizospheric fungi may exacerbate continuous cropping soil sickness ( Zhang et al, 2020 ). Beta-diversity analysis showed that phenolic acids could significantly change bacterial community structure.…”

Microbial Cross-Talk: Dissecting the Core Microbiota Associated With Flue-Cured Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Plants Under Healthy and Diseased State

“…Soil sickness affects both crop quality and yields when the same crop or its relative species are continuously grown in the same soil under a monocropping system ( Zhang et al, 2020b ). The rhizosphere microbiome acts as the first line of defense against soilborne pathogen infection and abiotic stress ( Bulgarelli et al, 2013 ; Mendes et al, 2013 ).…”

Effects of Cropping Practice on Bupleurum Chinense Rhizosphere Microbial Community

“…Studies have shown that long-term continuous cropping alters physical properties of the soil [12] and the soil microbial community structure, resulting in a diminished community of bene cial microorganism in soil, an increase in the pathogenic microorganisms, and a decline in the yield and quality of medicinal materials [13]. For example, the continuous planting of American ginseng [14] and Sophora avescens [15] not only weakened soil microbial diversity and amassed fungal root pathogens, but also changed soil physical properties, resulting in decreased crop yield and quality.…”