Influence of dragon bamboo with different planting patterns on microbial community and physicochemical property of soil on sunny and shady slopes

Dragon bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus) is a giant sym- podial bamboo species widely distributed in Asia. However, it remains unclear how dragon bamboo and soil microbes in- teract to affect soil properties. In this study, we investigated the planting patterns (semi-natural and artificial) on different slopes (sunny and shady) to determine the effects on soil pro- perties and microbial community. The results showed that the soil in which dragon bamboo was grown was acidic, with a pH value of ~5. Also, the soil organic matter content, nitro- gen hydrolysate concentration, total nitrogen, available po- tassium, and total potassium of the dragon bamboo semi- natural forest significantly improved, especially on the sunny slope. In contrast, the available phosphorus level was higher in the artificial bamboo forest, probably owing to the phos- phate fertilizer application.