THE INFLUENCE OF POTATO (SOLANUM TUBEROSUM) PRODUCTION SYSTEMS ON SOIL PROPERTIES, NITROGEN CYCLING COMMUNITIES, AND THE SOIL MICROBIOME.

Abstract

Increasing plant diversity, soil coverage, and rotation length in potato production systems can improve soil quality and productivity but could also result in trade-offs associated with the soil microbiome, namely increased nitrogen (N) losses from nitrification and denitrification, or increased disease pressure. The objective of this study was to compare the short-term effects of four potato crop production systems (CPS) established in 2021 on the bacterial and fungal communities under conventional fertilizer management, the severity of soilborne diseases of potato, and the abundance of seven N-cycling genes and emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) with and without N fertilizer. Overall, findings from this thesis highlight that diversifying potato CPS can quickly affect bacterial and fungal communities and can begin to have beneficial implications for soil health management even after the first rotation cycle.