Soil chemistry, metabarcoding, and metabolome analyses reveal that a sugarcane—Dictyophora indusiata intercropping system can enhance soil health by reducing soil nitrogen loss

Abstract

IntroductionGreater amounts of fertilizer are applied every year to meet the growing demand for food. Sugarcane is one of the important food sources for human beings.MethodsHere, we evaluated the effects of a sugarcane—Dictyophora indusiata (DI) intercropping system on soil health by conducting an experiment with three different treatments: (1) bagasse application (BAS process), (2) bagasse + DI (DIS process), and (3) the control (CK). We then analyzed soil chemistry, the diversity of soil bacteria and fungi, and the composition of metabolites to clarify the mechanism underlying the effects of this intercropping system on soil properties.Results and discussionSoil chemistry analyses revealed that the content of several soil nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) was higher in the BAS process than in the CK. In the DIS process, a large amount of soil P was consumed by DI. At the same time, the urease activity was inhibited, thus slowing down the loss of soil in the DI process, while the activity of other enzymes such as β-glucosidase and laccase was increased. It was also noticed that the content of lanthanum and calcium was higher in the BAS process than in the other treatments, and DI did not significantly alter the concentrations of these soil metal ions. Bacterial diversity was higher in the BAS process than in the other treatments, and fungal diversity was lower in the DIS process than in the other treatments. The soil metabolome analysis revealed that the abundance of carbohydrate metabolites was significantly lower in the BAS process than in the CK and the DIS process. The abundance of D(+)-talose was correlated with the content of soil nutrients. Path analysis revealed that the content of soil nutrients in the DIS process was mainly affected by fungi, bacteria, the soil metabolome, and soil enzyme activity. Our findings indicate that the sugarcane–DIS intercropping system can enhance soil health.

Dictyophora indusiata and Bacillus aryabhattai improve sugarcane yield by endogenously associating with the root and regulating flavonoid metabolism

“…Interestingly, in the sugarcane root of DI, the Bacillus genus was associated with the same abundance as D. indusiata (Phallaceae) ( Figures 3E, F ). Interestingly, based on my preliminary research, it was also found that the DI treatment has the ability to reduce soil fungal diversity, which aligns with the observed decreasing trend in endophytic fungal diversity in this study ( Duan et al., 2023a ). This indicates that the cultivation of D. indusiata may invasive and symbiotic growth with sugarcane root, which in turn may regulate the metabolism of sugarcane roots and ultimately impact sugarcane growth.…”

“…In this study’s intercropping system, D. indusiata significantly improved the metabolism of sugarcane roots through root symbiosis. Studies have found that the D. indusiata fruiting bodies synthesize IAA ( Duan et al., 2023b ), and D. indusiata improves soil metabolism, accumulating carbohydrate metabolites ( Duan et al., 2023a ). These earlier reports suggested that D. indusiata promotes plant growth metabolism.…”

“…Therefore, we conducted an experiment intercropping sugarcane and D. indusiata from March to October 2022. The studies have reported that the intercropping system, D. indusiata and sugarcane, enhances soil chemical properties and activates soil metabolism ( Duan et al., 2023a ); Additionally, the same genomic and metabolomic study revealed that the fruiting body of D. indusiata could synthesize IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) ( Duan et al., 2023b ), which probably leads to improved soil fertility and sugarcane yield. These preliminary studies suggest that intercropping D. indusiata with sugarcane benefits both species.…”

Unveiling the regulatory mechanism of poly-γ-glutamic acid on soil characteristics under drought stress through integrated metagenomics and metabolomics analysis

“…Soil non-targeted metabolomics can be used to characterize the differential activity of microbial communities ( Abram, 2015 ) and reflect the interaction between the microbial genome and the environment ( Tang, 2011 ), providing a novel approach for assessing soil health. For example, alterations in soil carbohydrate metabolite abundance are influenced by factors such as soil organic matter content and microbial activity ( Duan et al, 2023 ). Therefore, soil metabolomics is valuable for assessing the impact on soil quality and microbial function ( Withers et al, 2020 ).…”

Morchella esculenta cultivation in fallow paddy fields and drylands affects the diversity of soil bacteria and soil chemical properties

“…For example, the growth of Leucocalocybe mongolica mycelium in soil in a fairy ring ecosystem has been shown to increase soil nutrient abundance ( Duan et al, 2022a ); this can in turn enhance plant growth, increase the abundance of flavonoid metabolites, and promote hormone synthesis ( Duan et al, 2022b ). The cultivation of Dictyophora indusiata inhibits the activity of soil urease, which reduces the environmental loss of soil N ( Duan et al, 2023a ). Therefore, the cultivation of macrofungi (mushrooms) has a major effect on soil ecology.…”