Abstract
ABSTRACT Introduction Sustainable practices are increasingly recognised for benefiting soil biodiversity, health, and overall grain quality. This study examined a unique rice agroecosystem adopting fully organic practices and agroforestry through a seasonal characterisation of soil bacterial microbiota and physicochemical parameters. Furthermore, the first nutritional characterisation of an heirloom rice variety was provided, explicitly detailing how the soil biodiversity and parameters influence the grain quality. Materials and Methods Following the rice growth cycle, soil bacterial microbiota were studied through a metabarcoding approach on environmental DNA. Soil physicochemical properties were determined with standardised protocols and an FT‐IR analysis on the labile and recalcitrant carbon. Besides, the grain nutritional profile was obtained using standardised kits and protocols, while grain protein quantification was performed by combining SDS‐PAGE assay and MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry. Results Microbiota profiling highlighted the cover crops field's role in hosting functionally important bacteria, in support of the subsequent rice cultivation. Taxonomical and functional diversity significantly increased across the rice growing season, peaking at flowering, a delicate physiological phase directly impacting crop yields. Soil ROC, OM and flooding conditions primarily drove the bacteria community dissimilarity inter‐stages ( R 2 = 0.637). The sustainable practices employed for rice cultivation (i.e., green mulching, zero external inputs) led to a stabilisation of TOC and OM, increased available labile C, and to a carbon sequestration at the end of the growing season (7%), besides soil N and P conservation. Correlation analysis showed that CEC, C/N and bacterial diversity mainly influenced the carbohydrate fraction of the rice grain, with an indirect effect on the protein content. Conclusion Through a multidisciplinary approach, this study highlights that sustainable rice cultivation provides vital ecosystem services by positively affecting bacterial biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and grain quality. These sustainable practices represent an evidence‐based strategy to achieve global Sustainable Development Goals and to redesign rice agriculture.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Cover crop fields hosted functionally important bacteria for subsequent rice cultivation.
- Taxon
- rice
Oryza sativae0 - Outcome
- functionally important bacteriae0
- Setting
- cover crops fielde0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Microbiota profiling highlighted the cover crops field's role in hosting functionally important bacteria, in support of the subsequent rice cultivation”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil bacterial taxonomic and functional diversity increased during the rice season and peaked at flowering.
- Taxon
- riceOryza sativae2
- Organ / stage
- floweringe0
- Interactor
- bacteriale1other
- Outcome
- Taxonomical and functional diversitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Taxonomical and functional diversity significantly increased across the rice growing season, peaking at flowering”
e1“soil bacterial microbiota were studied through a metabarcoding approach”
e2“rice growing season”
Claim · model-written summary
ROC, OM and flooding explained between-stage soil bacterial community dissimilarity.
- Taxon
- riceOryza sativae2
- Outcome
- bacteria community dissimilaritye0
- Value
- R 2 = 0.637e0
- Setting
- flooding conditionse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Soil ROC, OM and flooding conditions primarily drove the bacteria community dissimilarity inter‐stages ( R 2 = 0.637)”
e1“soil bacterial microbiota were studied”
e2“rice growth cycle”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic rice practices stabilised TOC and OM.
- Taxon
- riceOryza sativae0
- Treatment
- green mulching, zero external inputse0
- Outcome
- TOC and OMe0
- Direction
- stabilisatione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The sustainable practices employed for rice cultivation (i.e., green mulching, zero external inputs) led to a stabilisation of TOC and OM”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic rice practices increased available labile carbon.
- Taxon
- riceOryza sativae1
- Treatment
- green mulching, zero external inputse1
- Outcome
- available labile Ce0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased available labile C”
e1“sustainable practices employed for rice cultivation (i.e., green mulching, zero external inputs)”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic rice practices produced 7% carbon sequestration at season end.
- Taxon
- riceOryza sativae1
- Treatment
- green mulching, zero external inputse1
- Outcome
- carbon sequestratione0
- Direction
- increaseinferrede0
- Value
- 7%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“carbon sequestration at the end of the growing season (7%)”
e1“sustainable practices employed for rice cultivation (i.e., green mulching, zero external inputs)”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic rice practices conserved soil nitrogen and phosphorus.
- Taxon
- riceOryza sativae1
- Treatment
- green mulching, zero external inputse1
- Outcome
- soil N and P conservatione0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“soil N and P conservation”
e1“sustainable practices employed for rice cultivation (i.e., green mulching, zero external inputs)”
Claim · model-written summary
CEC, C/N and bacterial diversity mainly influenced rice grain carbohydrate fraction.
- Taxon
- riceOryza sativae0
- Interactor
- bacteriale0other
- Outcome
- carbohydrate fraction of the rice graine0
- Setting
- CEC, C/N and bacterial diversitye0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“CEC, C/N and bacterial diversity mainly influenced the carbohydrate fraction of the rice grain”
Claim · model-written summary
CEC, C/N and bacterial diversity indirectly affected rice grain protein content.
- Taxon
- riceOryza sativae0
- Interactor
- bacteriale0other
- Outcome
- protein contente0
- Setting
- CEC, C/N and bacterial diversitye0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“CEC, C/N and bacterial diversity mainly influenced the carbohydrate fraction of the rice grain, with an indirect effect on the protein content”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · soil: chemistry · Oryza sativa (rice)Positive and negative results
5 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
- positive
3 papers more in this group
See all 7 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.