Crop rotation changed pathogen signals more clearly than soil diversity
WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
In a four-season maize–soybean experiment, rotation did not detectably improve bacterial diversity in early seasons. In the fourth season rotation history coincided with lower fum1 abundance in bulk soil, while crop-residue and disease responses pointed differently.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Microbial-diversity scores, pathogen DNA in soil and real crop disease can tell different stories; sample more than one biological compartment.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
Single site and four plots per treatment, with low power for early-season comparisons. No broadly generalizable causal crop-rotation prescription.
SOURCE
World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology — Almeida et al. (2026)
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