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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (6): 166-180.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2025246

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Effects of intercropping the weed Artemisia lavandulaefolia on soil microbial structure and diversity in tea gardens

Hui ZHANG(), Hui-ling LI, Qing-sen WANG, Feng-jing LIU, Jin-yu LI, Liang-de LI, Qiu-sheng ZHONG(), Ding-feng WANG()   

  1. Tea Research Institute,Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Fuzhou 350012,China
  • Received:2025-06-23 Revised:2025-08-18 Online:2026-06-20 Published:2026-04-13
  • Contact: Qiu-sheng ZHONG,Ding-feng WANG

Abstract:

Weed management in tea (Camellia sinensis) plantations is a critical issue affecting tea yield and quality, with long-term chemical weed control leading to soil ecological degradation. In this study, we determined how intercropping with Artemisia lavandulaefolia, a dominant weed in tea plantations, affects soil physicochemical properties, soil microbial communities, and soil fertility in tea gardens. We used Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing to analyze the bacterial (16S rDNA) and fungal (ITS) community structures in soils of tea gardens with and without A. lavandulaefolia intercropping. It was found that intercropping with A. lavandulaefolia significantly increased the contents of organic matter (18.66%) total nitrogen (23.08%), and available potassium (30.63%) in the rhizosphere soil of tea plants. Intercropping with A. lavandulaefolia did not significantly alter the α-diversity (Shannon and Chao 1 indices) of bacterial and fungal communities, but it significantly affected their composition. Among the dominant fungal genera, the relative abundance of Metarhizium was increased by 8.22-fold in the rhizosphere soil and by 93.92% in the inter-row soil of tea plants intercropped with A. lavandulaefolia. Among the soil bacteria, GemmatimonasSorangium, and Roseiarcus were significantly enriched in the soil of tea plants intercropped with A. lavandulaefolia. Additionally, intercropping with A. lavanduleafolia had a more pronounced impact on rare fungal and bacterial taxa with low relative abundances. In conclusion, the presence of the weed A. lavandulaefolia increased the contents of organic matter, total nitrogen, and available potassium in the rhizosphere soil of tea plants, changed the structure of the soil microbial community, and increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria, specifically MetarhiziumGemmatimonasSorangium, and Roseiarcus. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for ecological grass control and sustainable management of tea gardens.

Key words: tea garden intercropping, Artemisia lavandulaefolia, soil microorganisms, soil fertility, high-throughput sequencing