Abstract:
Field trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of different planting patterns (tea monocropping,
tea and soybean intercropping, soybean monocropping) on microbial community structure and
microbial functional diversity using Biolog technique. Results showed that intercropping treatment
exhibited higher average well color development (AWCD), diversity indices and community
functional diversity as compared with monocropping. The microbial utilization of 6 types of
carbon source indicated some differences. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis
demonstrated that intercropping treatment significantly changed the functional diversity of the
soil microbial community, mainly depending on carbohydrates and carboxylic acids. Our findings
suggested that soil microbial metabolic activities and functional diversity were significantly
changed by tea-soybean intercropping
