Effects of important ecological measures on plant diseases and soil microbial communities in the Hulunber Grassland
8 affiliations
- 1National Observation and Research Station of Grassland Agro-Ecosystem in Qingyang
- 2College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University
- 3Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University
- 4Gansu Tech Innovation Center of Western China Grassland Industry, Lanzhou University
- 5Grassland Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Institute of Ecological Protection and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry
- 6Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Plant Protection and Quarantine Center
- 7Hulunber Plant Protection and Quarantine Center
- 8Gansu Grassland Technical Extension Station
Abstract
Introduction: Ecological management measures can influence plant diseases, forage production, soil nutrients, and microbial communities, but their integrated effects in natural meadow grasslands remain unclear. This study evaluated the effects of mowing twice per year, microbial agent application, and organic fertilizer application in the Hulunber natural grassland.
Methods: Field plots were subjected to mowing twice per year (MT), microbial agent application (MA), and organic fertilizer application (OF), with untreated plots serving as the control (CK). Plant community and disease surveys, soil physicochemical analyses, and high-throughput sequencing were combined to assess treatment effects on plant community characteristics, foliar fungal diseases, soil nutrients, and soil microbial communities.
Results: MA significantly increased plant community cover, whereas MT significantly reduced community height. MT increased fresh and hay forage yields by 89.26% and 85.62%, respectively, and OF also significantly increased forage yield. Leaf spot was the predominant plant disease, with peak incidence occurring in August. MA and MT significantly reduced community pathogen load, and MT produced the strongest reduction, decreasing community pathogen load by 56.60% relative to CK. At the functional-group level, MA and MT reduced pathogen loads in grasses and sedges, while all treatments reduced pathogen loads in legumes by 47.52%–65.33%. MA increased soil total nitrogen; MT increased total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and soil organic carbon; and OF increased soil organic carbon. OF increased fungal alpha diversity, while bacterial diversity and community composition differed among treatments. MT increased the relative abundance of Fusarium , whereas MA, MT, and OF decreased the relative abundance of Alternaria .
Discussion: Mowing twice per year and microbial agent application showed greater potential for reducing foliar fungal disease, whereas organic fertilizer mainly improved forage production, soil organic carbon, and fungal diversity. These findings provide an ecological basis for management strategies that balance disease reduction, forage production, and soil microbial conservation in meadow grasslands.
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BibTeX
@article{yang2026effects,
title = {{Effects of important ecological measures on plant diseases and soil microbial communities in the Hulunber Grassland}},
author = {Xin Yang and Xinyao Han and Xiaojun Rong and Kamran Malik and Xuan Tang and Rina Wu and Zhenming Zhang and Chunjie Li and Binhua Yu},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1868265},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1868265/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of important ecological measures on plant diseases and soil microbial communities in the Hulunber Grassland
AU - Xin Yang
AU - Xinyao Han
AU - Xiaojun Rong
AU - Kamran Malik
AU - Xuan Tang
AU - Rina Wu
AU - Zhenming Zhang
AU - Chunjie Li
AU - Binhua Yu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1868265
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1868265/full
AB - Introduction: Ecological management measures can influence plant diseases, forage production, soil nutrients, and microbial communities, but their integrated effects in natural meadow grasslands remain unclear. This study evaluated the effects of mowing twice per year, microbial agent application, and organic fertilizer application in the Hulunber natural grassland. Methods: Field plots were subjected to mowing twice per year (MT), microbial agent application (MA), and organic fertilizer application (OF), with untreated plots serving as the control (CK). Plant community and disease surveys, soil physicochemical analyses, and high-throughput sequencing were combined to assess treatment effects on plant community characteristics, foliar fungal diseases, soil nutrients, and soil microbial communities. Results: MA significantly increased plant community cover, whereas MT significantly reduced community height. MT increased fresh and hay forage yields by 89.26% and 85.62%, respectively, and OF also significantly increased forage yield. Leaf spot was the predominant plant disease, with peak incidence occurring in August. MA and MT significantly reduced community pathogen load, and MT produced the strongest reduction, decreasing community pathogen load by 56.60% relative to CK. At the functional-group level, MA and MT reduced pathogen loads in grasses and sedges, while all treatments reduced pathogen loads in legumes by 47.52%–65.33%. MA increased soil total nitrogen; MT increased total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and soil organic carbon; and OF increased soil organic carbon. OF increased fungal alpha diversity, while bacterial diversity and community composition differed among treatments. MT increased the relative abundance of Fusarium , whereas MA, MT, and OF decreased the relative abundance of Alternaria . Discussion: Mowing twice per year and microbial agent application showed greater potential for reducing foliar fungal disease, whereas organic fertilizer mainly improved forage production, soil organic carbon, and fungal diversity. These findings provide an ecological basis for management strategies that balance disease reduction, forage production, and soil microbial conservation in meadow grasslands.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -