Studies of soil microbial diversity reduced by phosphate fertilizer application in wheat and maize rotation system

Mechanisms controlling phosphorus (P) availability and the roles of microorganism in efficient utilization of soil P in wheat-maize double cropping system are not well understood. Microbial community structure was found to be related with soil P availability parameters with enhanced abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus and the phosphate-solubilizing bacteria Bacillus in Pw treatment. Our findings suggest that in wheat-maize double cropping system, a reduced fertilization scheme with fertilizer input only in winter wheat season is practical to high legacy P soils.