The role of microbes in hydrological soil health: results from farms across three US Midwest states
Soil microbial communities influence soil structure and drought resilience, but the mechanisms linking agricultural management, microbes, and soil hydrological health remain unclear. We collected soils from maize fields across Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan and characterized bacterial (16S rRNA V4) and fungal (ITS) communities using amplicon sequencing. Microbial community data were integrated with measurements of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), wet aggregate stability, soil drying rates, and greenhouse plant drought responses. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate relationships among management practices, microbial communities, and soil and plant outcomes. Results indicate that fungal communities are strongly associated with improved wet aggregate stability and reduced soil drying, whereas EPS-related traits showed weaker relationships. These sequencing data provide insights into microbial contributions to soil hydrological health in agricultural systems.