Abstract The intensification of agriculture to meet the ever-increasing demand for food has exerted a negative impact on the ecosystem. Conservation agriculture has been highlighted as a comprehensive approach to sustainability. The present study aimed to assess the performance of conservation agriculture (CA) on plant growth, and its impact on bacterial community composition, specifically guilds involved in nitrogen (N) cycling, in comparison to conventional (CT), and organic agriculture (OA). A field experiment was set up with Cajanus cajan (pigeonpea) under the three agricultural practices with a total of nine modules. The rhizospheric bacterial community composition was examined using Illumina sequencing with the 16S rRNA gene as a marker. The bacterial community involved in nitrogen cycling was examined by analysis of key genes involved in pathways, viz. nitrogen fixation (nifH), nitrification (amoA), and denitrification (narG and nirK) by qPCR. Plant growth parameters and grain yield of C.cajan were relatively higher in CA-based modules. Enhanced abundances of genes involved in the N cycle were observed under CA compared to CT and OA. CA had the highest alpha diversity at the phylum level, while CT had the lowest. Proteobacteria (28%), Planctomycetes (15–19%), Acidobacteria (10–12%), and Bacteroidetes (10–15%) were the dominant phyla across the three agricultural practices. A significant correlation could be drawn between the performance of agricultural management practice, and bacterial community structure and function. The research adds to our understanding of the various mechanisms involved in the promotion of plant growth and soil diversity under sustainable means of agriculture. Besides it emphasizes the significance of rhizospheric bacterial communities as ecological indicators for soil health in arable land.

中文翻译：

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保护性农业与有机和常规农业在增强 Cajanus cajan 植物属性和根际细菌多样性方面的比较表现：实地研究

摘要 为满足日益增长的粮食需求而进行的农业集约化对生态系统产生了负面影响。保护性农业已被强调为可持续发展的综合方法。本研究旨在评估保护性农业 (CA) 对植物生长的表现，及其对细菌群落组成的影响，特别是与传统 (CT) 和有机农业 (OA) 相比，参与氮 (N) 循环的行会. 以Cajanus cajan（鸽子豌豆）在三种农业实践下进行田间试验，共9个模块。使用 Illumina 测序以 16S rRNA 基因作为标记检查根际细菌群落组成。通过分析参与途径的关键基因来检查参与氮循环的细菌群落，即。通过 qPCR 进行固氮 (nifH)、硝化 (amoA) 和反硝化 (narG 和 nirK)。C.cajan 的植物生长参数和谷物产量在基于 CA 的模块中相对较高。与 CT 和 OA 相比，在 CA 下观察到参与 N 循环的基因丰度增加。CA 在门水平上具有最高的 alpha 多样性，而 CT 具有最低。Proteobacteria (28%)、Planctomycetes (15–19%)、Acidobacteria (10–12%) 和 Bacteroidetes (10–15%) 是三种农业实践中的优势门。可以在农业管理实践的绩效与细菌群落结构和功能之间得出显着的相关性。该研究增加了我们对在可持续农业方式下促进植物生长和土壤多样性所涉及的各种机制的理解。此外，它还强调了根际细菌群落作为耕地土壤健康生态指标的重要性。