Forage Species Identity Shapes Soil Biota in a Temperate Agroecosystem

Increasing plant diversity in the perennial phase of pasture-crop rotations is predicted to positively affect belowground productivity and microbial communities and, turn, augment agroecosystem services including soil health carbon storage. Using two grass one legume forage species grown as monocultures combined four intercropped combinations, we evaluated how identity richness influence productivity, communities, C pools. Though grass-legume intercrops demonstrated higher aboveground than component monoculture, was not associated with increased belowground. Root biomass greatest tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) this species. Species similarly community attributes. Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) monoculture exhibited lower total abundance bacterial intercrops. Bacterial also orchardgrass compared white clover (Trifolium repens monoculture. A common indictor function, fungal:bacterial ratio, grass-only clover-only stands. The prevalence species-specific impacts on roots study suggests that may have a stronger from forages temperate regions.