CLIMATE-RESPONSIVE REGULATION OF PLANT–SOIL MICROBIAL NETWORKS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY UNDER GLOBAL WARMING

Abstract

The shift in soil conditions, microbial community organization, nutrient cycling and crop performances, caused by global warming, is becoming more urgent and requires management that will enhance soil biological resilience in agriculture. The study assessed the effects of warming on plant–soil–microbial communities and networks, and if warming affected soil functioning and crop productivity, and whether this was buffered by conservation-oriented management. Secondary data derived from a long-term field experiment on the effects of warmed and ambient conditions under contrasting agricultural management practices were analysed using microbial community, plant–microbe association-network, soil and crop-performance indicators. The warming caused a change in the microbial community structure and diminished fungal richness in conservation management, whereas management had a significant effect on the network connectivity and plant–microbe associations. Soil temperature and soil moisture remained comparatively lower in the conservation agriculture and improved the positive soil–root metabolite–microorganism interactions and strengthened associations between the taxa involved in nitrogen cycling. Warming resulted in an increase in wheat nitrate uptake (40% more with conservation agriculture than with conventional management, whereas gross nitrogen mineralization and nitrification were increased by 191% and 159%, respectively. This functional change is linked to enhanced soil health indicators, and to a long-term experimental period increase in wheat production of 9.3%. These results suggest that besides microbial diversity, the organization and functional connectivity of plant–soil microbial networks is crucial for climate resilience. Conservation oriented management therefore is a potential pathway to control the effects of belowground biology, enhance nutrient acquisition, maintain soil functionality and productivity in increasingly warmer climates.