Microbial community responses to soil tillage and crop rotation in a corn/soybean agroecosystem.

ABSTRACT: The acreage planted in corn and soybean crops is vast, and these crops contribute substantially to the world economy. The agricultural practices employed for farming these crops have major effects on ecosystem health at a worldwide scale. The microbial communities living in agricultural soils significantly contribute to nutrient uptake and cycling and can have both positive and negative impacts on the crops growing with them. In this study, we examined the impact of the crop planted and soil tillage on nutrient levels, microbial communities, and the biochemical pathways present in the soil. We found that farming practice, that is conventional tillage versus no-till, had a much greater impact on nearly everything measured compared to the crop planted. No-till fields tended to have higher nu

SUBMITTER: Smith CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5108259 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature