Effects of Imazethapyr on Soybean Root Growth and Soil Microbial Communities in Sloped Fields

The herbicide imazethapyr was previously recommended for controlling weeds in soybean fields. However, the effects of on soil microbial communities and their relationship with crop root growth sloped soils remain unclear. In this study, a field experiment conducted to explore growth, communities, co-occurrence networks, interactions between microbes growth. included two factors: slope imazethapyr. factor three different gradients: 5° (S1), 10° (S2), 15° (S3). treatments: (I1) without (I0) Thus, six total combinations treatments were tested study: S1I1, S2I1, S3I1, S1I0, S2I0, S3I0. results show that, compared I0 treatments, I1 significantly increased length, surface area, volume by 11.7~26.5 m, 171.7~324.2 cm2, 1.8~3.1 cm3, respectively, across all slopes. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Bacteroidota bacterial phyla Ascomycota Basidiomycota fungal found be top represented communities. These five scattered networks suggesting these play critical roles enhancing stability networks. Compared nodes from 6.4%, 9.1%, 11.2%, network. Similarly, network, improved 1.8% 5.8%, respectively. positive relations 8.3% 3.2%, Moreover, relative abundance root-promoting biomarkers suppressed root-limiting biomarkers. application reduced diversity richness general. Furthermore, links 9.2% 78.8% higher than treatments. also decreased 17.9% community Our data that almost gene families encoding nitrogen carbon cycling pathways. conclusion, increasing cooperation had some negative impacts such as reducing