Kiwifruit-A.blazei intercropping effectively improved yield productivity, nutrient uptake, and rhizospheric bacterial community

Abstract

Background Intercropping systems have garnered attention as a sustainable agricultural approach for efficient land usage, increased ecological diversity in farmland, and enhanced crop yields. This study examined the impact of intercropping on the kiwifruit rhizosphere to gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between cover plants and kiwifruit in this sustainable agricultural system. Results The analysis of soil physicochemical properties and bacterial communities was conducted in the Kiwifruit-A. blazei intercropping system. Moreover, the combined analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metabolomic sequencing was used to identify differential microbes and metabolites in the rhizosphere. Intercropping led to an increase in soil physicochemical (ALN, TN, SOC, AP, MBC, MBN) and enzyme activity (URE, NR), as well as re-shaped the bacterial community and increased in microbial diversity. Specifically, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Myxococcota, and Patescibacteria were the most abundant and diverse phyla in the intercropping system. The expression analysis further revealed that the bacterial genera of BIrii41, Acidibacter, and Altererythrobacter were significantly upregulated in the intercropping system. Moreover, a total of 358 differential metabolites (DMs) were identified between the monocropping and intercropping cultivation patterns, with fatty acyls, carboxylic acids and derivatives, and organooxygen compounds being significantly upregulated in the intercropping system. The KEGG metabolic pathways further revealed the considerable enrichment of DMs in ABC transports, histidine metabolism, and pyrimidine metabolism. This study identified a significant correlation between 95 bacterial genera and 79 soil metabolites, and an interactive network was constructed to explore the relationships between these differential microbes and metabolites in the rhizosphere. Conclusions This study demonstrates that Kiwifruit-A. blazei intercropping can be an effective, labor-saving, economic, and sustainable practice for reshaping the bacterial community and promoting the accumulation and metabolism of beneficial microorganisms in the rhizosphere.