Effects of planting patterns on physicochemical properties, metabolites and microbial community structure of rhizosphere soil in perennial cultivated grassland

Abstract Establishing perennial cultivated grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau helps address the seasonal imbalance of forage resources and supports the restoration of degraded grasslands. The most common planting patterns—monocropping and mixed cropping—are well-studied in terms of vegetation s...

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Main Authors: Xiaofang Zhang, Chunping Zhang, Yuzhen Liu, Lian Huo, Zengzeng Yang, Yongshang Tong, Xue Zhang, Zehang Yu, Xiaoxia Yang, Quan Cao, Quanmin Dong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-94366-7
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author Xiaofang Zhang
Chunping Zhang
Yuzhen Liu
Lian Huo
Zengzeng Yang
Yongshang Tong
Xue Zhang
Zehang Yu
Xiaoxia Yang
Quan Cao
Quanmin Dong
author_facet Xiaofang Zhang
Chunping Zhang
Yuzhen Liu
Lian Huo
Zengzeng Yang
Yongshang Tong
Xue Zhang
Zehang Yu
Xiaoxia Yang
Quan Cao
Quanmin Dong
author_sort Xiaofang Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Establishing perennial cultivated grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau helps address the seasonal imbalance of forage resources and supports the restoration of degraded grasslands. The most common planting patterns—monocropping and mixed cropping—are well-studied in terms of vegetation structure, productivity, and soil nutrients. Despite their significance, the influence of prolonged planting practices on underground soil microbial communities and metabolites has often been neglected. In this study, two characteristic plants, Festuca sinensis ‘Qinghai’ and Poa pratensis ‘Qinghai’, from the area around Qinghai Lake were selected as the experimental subjects by employing 16 S and ITS sequencing methods in conjunction with non-targeted metabolomics analysis. The effects of planting patterns (monocropping and mixed cropping) on rhizosphere soil characteristics, metabolites and microbial community structure were examined. The results showed that compared with monocropping, mixed cropping significantly increased the contents of soil nutrients and key metabolites. In addition, it had a greater impact on fungal diversity than bacterial diversity, particularly in terms of β-diversity. While microbial α-diversity and dominant phyla remained stable, soil fungi were more responsive to changes in soil properties and metabolites. These results show that the new niche differentiation between different species in mixed grassland stimulates the secretion of trehalose and valine, which further affects the fungal community structure and enhances the soil nutrients and ecological functions of degraded grasslands. These findings will guide the restoration of degraded grasslands around Qinghai Lake and the selection of planting strategies to improve local sustainable grassland productivity.
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spelling doaj-art-8dacd03c8f5a416bb6f3a7e2bfd725a52025-08-20T02:12:06ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-94366-7Effects of planting patterns on physicochemical properties, metabolites and microbial community structure of rhizosphere soil in perennial cultivated grasslandXiaofang Zhang0Chunping Zhang1Yuzhen Liu2Lian Huo3Zengzeng Yang4Yongshang Tong5Xue Zhang6Zehang Yu7Xiaoxia Yang8Quan Cao9Quanmin Dong10Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai UniversityAcademy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai UniversityAcademy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai UniversityAcademy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai UniversityAcademy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai UniversityAcademy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai UniversityAcademy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai UniversityAcademy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai UniversityAcademy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai UniversityAcademy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai UniversityAcademy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai UniversityAbstract Establishing perennial cultivated grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau helps address the seasonal imbalance of forage resources and supports the restoration of degraded grasslands. The most common planting patterns—monocropping and mixed cropping—are well-studied in terms of vegetation structure, productivity, and soil nutrients. Despite their significance, the influence of prolonged planting practices on underground soil microbial communities and metabolites has often been neglected. In this study, two characteristic plants, Festuca sinensis ‘Qinghai’ and Poa pratensis ‘Qinghai’, from the area around Qinghai Lake were selected as the experimental subjects by employing 16 S and ITS sequencing methods in conjunction with non-targeted metabolomics analysis. The effects of planting patterns (monocropping and mixed cropping) on rhizosphere soil characteristics, metabolites and microbial community structure were examined. The results showed that compared with monocropping, mixed cropping significantly increased the contents of soil nutrients and key metabolites. In addition, it had a greater impact on fungal diversity than bacterial diversity, particularly in terms of β-diversity. While microbial α-diversity and dominant phyla remained stable, soil fungi were more responsive to changes in soil properties and metabolites. These results show that the new niche differentiation between different species in mixed grassland stimulates the secretion of trehalose and valine, which further affects the fungal community structure and enhances the soil nutrients and ecological functions of degraded grasslands. These findings will guide the restoration of degraded grasslands around Qinghai Lake and the selection of planting strategies to improve local sustainable grassland productivity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-94366-7Perennial cultivated grasslandPlanting patternsRhizosphereSoil propertiesMicrobial community compositionMetabolites
spellingShingle Xiaofang Zhang
Chunping Zhang
Yuzhen Liu
Lian Huo
Zengzeng Yang
Yongshang Tong
Xue Zhang
Zehang Yu
Xiaoxia Yang
Quan Cao
Quanmin Dong
Effects of planting patterns on physicochemical properties, metabolites and microbial community structure of rhizosphere soil in perennial cultivated grassland
Scientific Reports
Perennial cultivated grassland
Planting patterns
Rhizosphere
Soil properties
Microbial community composition
Metabolites
title Effects of planting patterns on physicochemical properties, metabolites and microbial community structure of rhizosphere soil in perennial cultivated grassland
title_full Effects of planting patterns on physicochemical properties, metabolites and microbial community structure of rhizosphere soil in perennial cultivated grassland
title_fullStr Effects of planting patterns on physicochemical properties, metabolites and microbial community structure of rhizosphere soil in perennial cultivated grassland
title_full_unstemmed Effects of planting patterns on physicochemical properties, metabolites and microbial community structure of rhizosphere soil in perennial cultivated grassland
title_short Effects of planting patterns on physicochemical properties, metabolites and microbial community structure of rhizosphere soil in perennial cultivated grassland
title_sort effects of planting patterns on physicochemical properties metabolites and microbial community structure of rhizosphere soil in perennial cultivated grassland
topic Perennial cultivated grassland
Planting patterns
Rhizosphere
Soil properties
Microbial community composition
Metabolites
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-94366-7
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