Loquat-tea intercropping enhances rhizosphere microbial diversity and functional profiles in tea soil ecosystems

IntroductionIntercropping systems can significantly influence soil microbial communities, affecting plant health and soil nutrient cycling, which has better economic and ecological benefits than monoculture of tea.MethodsThis study investigated the impact of loquat-tea intercropping on the microbial...

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Main Authors: Chengyi Zou, Tianfei Dai, Zhonghua Liang, Mingyan Li, Lina Meng, Xianming Zhao, Nianzhen Li, Qin Wei, Mohamed A. Abd Elhamid, Amr M. Atif, Salma A. Soaud, Mengling Wen, Kuan Yan, Ahmed H. El-Sappah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1651997/full
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author Chengyi Zou
Tianfei Dai
Zhonghua Liang
Mingyan Li
Lina Meng
Xianming Zhao
Nianzhen Li
Qin Wei
Mohamed A. Abd Elhamid
Amr M. Atif
Salma A. Soaud
Mengling Wen
Kuan Yan
Ahmed H. El-Sappah
Ahmed H. El-Sappah
author_facet Chengyi Zou
Tianfei Dai
Zhonghua Liang
Mingyan Li
Lina Meng
Xianming Zhao
Nianzhen Li
Qin Wei
Mohamed A. Abd Elhamid
Amr M. Atif
Salma A. Soaud
Mengling Wen
Kuan Yan
Ahmed H. El-Sappah
Ahmed H. El-Sappah
author_sort Chengyi Zou
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionIntercropping systems can significantly influence soil microbial communities, affecting plant health and soil nutrient cycling, which has better economic and ecological benefits than monoculture of tea.MethodsThis study investigated the impact of loquat-tea intercropping on the microbial community structure and functional gene composition in the rhizosphere soil of tea (Camellia sinensis). Using metagenomic sequencing, we analyzed rhizosphere soils from loquat-tea intercropping (PP_CS), tea monoculture (CS), and loquat monoculture (PP).Results and discussionA total of 161 phyla, 269 classes, 485 orders, 1,000 families, 3,838 genera, and 27,624 species were annotated across samples. Dominant phyla included Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi. The genera Bradyrhizobium (4.20%) and Trebonia (3.78%) were notably enriched in the intercropping system. The analysis of community differences showed that unclassified_c_acidobacteria was in pp_cs group, demonstrating the highest LDA score (4.4 score). Functional annotation via the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) revealed that metabolic pathways were predominant across all treatments, with 36,111,608 reads assigned to metabolism. The comparative analysis at KEGG level 3 revealed that Metabolic pathways 289 constituted the most abundantly annotated functional category across all three groups. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed strong correlations between key microbial genera (Trebonia, Bradyrhizobium) and soil properties, including organic matter (OM), alkali hydrolyzed nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK). These findings suggest that loquat-tea intercropping promotes microbial diversity and enhances functional potential, improving soil health and nutrient availability in tea cultivation systems.
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spelling doaj-art-cd093ad54bd04576b77b79cccfd004ff2025-08-20T02:57:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2025-08-011610.3389/fmicb.2025.16519971651997Loquat-tea intercropping enhances rhizosphere microbial diversity and functional profiles in tea soil ecosystemsChengyi Zou0Tianfei Dai1Zhonghua Liang2Mingyan Li3Lina Meng4Xianming Zhao5Nianzhen Li6Qin Wei7Mohamed A. Abd Elhamid8Amr M. Atif9Salma A. Soaud10Mengling Wen11Kuan Yan12Ahmed H. El-Sappah13Ahmed H. El-Sappah14Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, ChinaSichuan Green Food Development Center, Chengdu, ChinaXingwen Sanhe Landscaping Co., Ltd., Yibin, ChinaFaculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, ChinaFaculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, ChinaFaculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, ChinaFaculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, ChinaFaculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, ChinaDepartment of Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, EgyptDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, EgyptDepartment of Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, EgyptFaculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, ChinaFaculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, ChinaFaculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, ChinaDepartment of Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, EgyptIntroductionIntercropping systems can significantly influence soil microbial communities, affecting plant health and soil nutrient cycling, which has better economic and ecological benefits than monoculture of tea.MethodsThis study investigated the impact of loquat-tea intercropping on the microbial community structure and functional gene composition in the rhizosphere soil of tea (Camellia sinensis). Using metagenomic sequencing, we analyzed rhizosphere soils from loquat-tea intercropping (PP_CS), tea monoculture (CS), and loquat monoculture (PP).Results and discussionA total of 161 phyla, 269 classes, 485 orders, 1,000 families, 3,838 genera, and 27,624 species were annotated across samples. Dominant phyla included Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi. The genera Bradyrhizobium (4.20%) and Trebonia (3.78%) were notably enriched in the intercropping system. The analysis of community differences showed that unclassified_c_acidobacteria was in pp_cs group, demonstrating the highest LDA score (4.4 score). Functional annotation via the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) revealed that metabolic pathways were predominant across all treatments, with 36,111,608 reads assigned to metabolism. The comparative analysis at KEGG level 3 revealed that Metabolic pathways 289 constituted the most abundantly annotated functional category across all three groups. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed strong correlations between key microbial genera (Trebonia, Bradyrhizobium) and soil properties, including organic matter (OM), alkali hydrolyzed nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK). These findings suggest that loquat-tea intercropping promotes microbial diversity and enhances functional potential, improving soil health and nutrient availability in tea cultivation systems.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1651997/fullintercroppingtea rhizospheremetagenomicsmicrobial diversityfunctional genes
spellingShingle Chengyi Zou
Tianfei Dai
Zhonghua Liang
Mingyan Li
Lina Meng
Xianming Zhao
Nianzhen Li
Qin Wei
Mohamed A. Abd Elhamid
Amr M. Atif
Salma A. Soaud
Mengling Wen
Kuan Yan
Ahmed H. El-Sappah
Ahmed H. El-Sappah
Loquat-tea intercropping enhances rhizosphere microbial diversity and functional profiles in tea soil ecosystems
Frontiers in Microbiology
intercropping
tea rhizosphere
metagenomics
microbial diversity
functional genes
title Loquat-tea intercropping enhances rhizosphere microbial diversity and functional profiles in tea soil ecosystems
title_full Loquat-tea intercropping enhances rhizosphere microbial diversity and functional profiles in tea soil ecosystems
title_fullStr Loquat-tea intercropping enhances rhizosphere microbial diversity and functional profiles in tea soil ecosystems
title_full_unstemmed Loquat-tea intercropping enhances rhizosphere microbial diversity and functional profiles in tea soil ecosystems
title_short Loquat-tea intercropping enhances rhizosphere microbial diversity and functional profiles in tea soil ecosystems
title_sort loquat tea intercropping enhances rhizosphere microbial diversity and functional profiles in tea soil ecosystems
topic intercropping
tea rhizosphere
metagenomics
microbial diversity
functional genes
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1651997/full
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