Effects of cover crop and tillage method combinations on the microbiological traits of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

We carried out multivariate characterisation of phenotypic variability in 27 treatments that were combinations of cover crop, tillage method, and year. Canonical variate analysis was employed to observe nine microbiological traits in an experiment established in a split-plot design. Between 2011–2013, a field experiment was conducted on soils classified as Albic Luvisols. The first-order factor was analysis of the effect of sowing a stubble cover crop: (Control: No cover crop sown; cover crop sown after skimming; no tillage: Cover crop sown directly). The second experimental factor involved evaluating the effects of three tillage methods (direct sowing; simplified tillage to a depth of 12–15 cm with a combined cultivator; spring ploughing to a depth of 25 cm) on nine microbiological traits. The year of research was used as a factor to differentiate between the count and activity of soil microorganisms. The traits (moulds and copiotrophic bacteria, and oligotrophic bacteria and actinobacteria) were significantly correlated (positively or negatively) at all five terms. Pearson’s test confirmed the relationships between the physiological groups of soil microorganisms after the application of organic matter, and captured the positive correlation between moulds and copiotrophs at all terms of the study.