Mixed-Cropping Between Field Pea Varieties Alters Root Bacterial and Fungal Communities.

ABSTRACT: Modern agricultural practices have vastly increased crop production but negatively affected soil health. As such, there is a call to develop sustainable, ecologically-viable approaches to food production. Mixed-cropping of plant varieties can increase yields, although impacts on plant-associated microbial communities are unclear, despite their critical role in plant health and broader ecosystem function. We investigated how mixed-cropping between two field pea (Pisum sativum L.) varieties (Winfreda and Ambassador) influenced root-associated microbial communities and yield. The two varieties supported significantly different fungal and bacterial communities when grown as mono-crops. Mixed-cropping caused changes in microbial communities but with differences between varieties. Root bacterial

SUBMITTER: Horner A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6861290 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature