Plant neighbour effects on focal plant-associated microbiomes in strip-cropped
In this project, we examined the effects of plant neighbour on microbiome assembly in strip cropping systems. Specifically, we examined the dynamics and site-specific assembly of soil and phyllosphere microbiomes in a rotational faba bean (Vicia faba) and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare) strip during two cropping seasons, using bacterial 16S and fungal ITS amplicon sequencing. We found that strip cropping affects spatial variability much more in phyllosphere than in soil micro-biomes. Also, neighbouring crop species harbour distinct microbiomes, but with increasing proximity, their phyllosphere microbiomes share more microbial taxa. Further, we observed gradient-specific microbial distribution including some fungal pathogens.