Intensive agriculture with continuous monocropping and massive chemical inputs has adversely affected belowground microbial composition and functions, resulting in soil sickness and negative feedbacks to crop growth and production. Crop diversification has been highlighted to address these problems in a more sustainable and ecological way by alterations of the temporal and spatial interactions between above- and belowground biota. However, the underlying mechanisms of crop diversity in alleviating monoculture soil sickness remain elusive. Here we propose that soil microbial networks could be a key entry point to understand the intercropping benefits on soil fertility and pathogen or pest control. Last, we raise some promising directions facing future challenges which might be beneficial to future agricultural managements and food security, and how to design an optimized cropping system to construct a healthier soil.

持续单作和大量化学投入的集约化农业对地下微生物的组成和功能产生了不利影响，导致土壤病害和作物生长和生产的负反馈。通过改变地上和地下生物群之间的时间和空间相互作用，强调作物多样化以更可持续和生态的方式解决这些问题。然而，作物多样性减轻单一栽培土壤病害的潜在机制仍然难以捉摸。在这里，我们提出土壤微生物网络可能是了解间作对土壤肥力和病原体或害虫控制益处的关键切入点。最后，我们提出了一些面临未来挑战的有希望的方向，这些方向可能有利于未来的农业管理和粮食安全，