Reductive soil disinfestation to improve soil properties in long-term tobacco cultivation

ABSTRACT To alleviate soil deterioration caused by tobacco continuous cropping obstacles, the effect of reductive soil disinfestation (RSD) on soil physicochemical and biological characteristics as well as tobacco growth was investigated through a pot experiment, with four treatments including control (CK), moderate nitrogen fertilizer application (NF), RSD, and RSD coupled with NF (RF). Results showed that soil pH, the content of organic matter, available P and available Fe were significantly increased after using RSD technology. Moreover, RSD technology boosted the relative abundance of Gemmatimonadota (9.0–12.0%), Chloroflexi (4.0–11.0%), and Ascomycota (10.0–12.0%) while decreasing the relative abundance of Mucoromycota (2–4%). Therefore, the biomass and quality of tobacco were also improved after the RSD application. Compared with CK, the biomass of tobacco at the mature stage was increased by 233.7–262.8% by RSD technology, and the chemical coordination (sugar difference, sugar alkali ratio and alkali nitrogen ratio) of the plant was also significantly improved. This study verified the feasibility of RSD technology in repairing soil deterioration caused by tobacco continuous cropping obstacles and provided theoretical and technical support for long-term tobacco production.