In the traditional farming systems, the excessive application of chemical fertilizers to boost crop yields has resulted in a range of issues, such as soil quality degradation, soil structure deterioration, and pollution of the farmland ecological environment. Green manure, as a high-quality biological fertilizer source with rich nutrient content, is of great significance for enhancing the soil quality and establishing a healthy farmland ecosystem. However, there are few studies on the effects of different green manures on the soil nutrient levels, enzyme activities, and soil bacterial community composition in the rice-wheat rotation areas in southern China. Thus, we planted Chinese milk vetch (MV; Astragalus sinicus L.), light leaf vetch (LV; Vicia villosa var.), common vetch (CV; Vicia sativa L.), crimson clover (CC; Trifolium incarnatum L.), Italian ryegrass (RG; Lolium multiflorum L.), and winter fields without any crops as a control in the Taihu Lake area of Jiangsu. The soil samples collected after tilling and returning the green manure to the field during the bloom period were used to analyze the effects of the different green manures on the soil nutrient content, enzyme activity, and the structural composition of the bacterial community. This analysis was conducted using chemical methods and high-throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that the green manure returned to the field increased the soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM), alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), sucrose (SC), urease (UE), and neutral phosphatase (NEP) contents compared to the control. They increased by 1.55% to 10.06%, 0.26% to 9.31%, 20.95% to 28.42%, 20.66% to 57.79%, 12.38% to 37.94%, 3.11% to 58.19%, 6.49% to 32.99%, and 50.0% to 80.36%, respectively. In addition, the green manure field increased the relative abundance of the genera Proteobacteria and Haliangium while decreasing the relative abundance of Gemmatimonadetes, Chloroflexi, SBR1031, and Anaeromyxobacter in the soil bacteria. Both the number of ASVs (amplicon sequence variants) and alpha-diversity of the soil bacterial communities were higher compared to the control, and the beta-diversity varied significantly among the treatments. Alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen and neutral phosphatase had the greatest influence on the soil bacterial community diversity, with alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen being the primary soil factor affecting the soil bacterial community composition. Meanwhile, the results of the principal component analysis showed that the MV treatment had the most significant impact on soil improvement. Our study provides significant insights into the sustainable management of the soil quality in rice-wheat rotations. It identifies MV as the best choice among the green manure crops for improving the soil quality, offering innovative solutions for reducing chemical fertilizer dependence and promoting ecological sustainability.
