Effect of Different Cultivation Patterns on Amomum villosum Yield and Quality Parameters, Rhizosphere Soil Properties, and Rhizosphere Soil Microbes

Abstract

The forest–medicinal plant management system has benefited the commercial production of Amomum villosum. However, little is known about the influence of different forestlands on the cultivation of A. villosum. The present study investigated the potential differences in the A. villosum yield and quality parameters, rhizosphere soil properties, and rhizosphere soil microbiota between a rubber plantation (RP) and a natural secondary forest (NSF). No significant differences in yield or rhizosphere soil properties of A. villosum were observed between RP and NSF, although most of the A. villosum yield parameters, the rhizosphere soil physicochemical properties, and soil enzyme activities were higher in NSF than in RP. Furthermore, the 38 volatile components had significantly higher relative abundances in NSF than in RP. Furthermore, the alpha diversity indices for the microbiota communities in the A. villosum rhizosphere soil indicated that the richness of the bacterial and fungal communities was significantly higher in NSF than in RP. These findings suggest that NSF conditions may be more appropriate than RP conditions for growing A. villosum. The data generated in this study may be useful for increasing the production of high-quality A. villosum via the exploitation of natural environments.