Effects of Different Fertilization Methods on Soil Microbial Community and Diversity and Crop Yield in a Sweet Potato Field

Abstract o Aims Different fertilizers such as microbial fertilizer, vegetable cake, mushroom residue, quicklime, soil conditioner, organic fertilizer, and compound fertilizer were used, and their effects on soil microbial community and sweet potato yield were studied. Thirty different treatments were set up, and the agronomic traits, quality, and characteristics of sweet potato were determined. The effects of these treatments on soil pH, nutrient indicators, and microbial community structure were also investigated. o Methods Combining field agronomic character investigation, soil nutrient and other indicators determination and bioinformatics analysis of soil microorganisms. o Results Differences among the indicators under different planting modes. Seaweed microbial fertilizer and quicklime + biomass charcoal appropriately increased the growth of sweet potato stems and leaves. Zeolite and sheep manure organic fertilizer appropriately increased the yield of sweet potato. In the case of combined application of organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer, when the proportion of organic fertilizer was high, the stems and leaves of sweet potato grew vigorously, and when the proportion of compound fertilizer was high, the yield of sweet potato was high. o Conclusions Although both soil nutrient content and organic matter content equally affected sweet potato yield, there were constraints and balances between them, and a higher value of either of them did not provide a better yield. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria in soil microorganisms was positively correlated with sweet potato yield. Firmicutes was also associated with yield, no positive correlation was found. Latescibacteria, Ignavibacteriae, and RBG-1 (Zixibacteria) were probably associated with elevated soil pH.