Analysis of the succession of structure of the bacteria community in soil from long-term continuous cotton cropping in Xinjiang using high-throughput sequencing

The present study aimed to identify the structural succession of the bacteria community in soil during long-term continuous cotton cropping and its relationship with continuous cropping obstacles in Xinjiang, China. High-throughput sequencing was used to analyze and compare the composition of the bacterial community in the soil at the cotton root zone after years of continuous cotton cropping and crop rotation over 30 years of cultivation. Cotton cultivation increased the structural diversity of the bacterial community, among which the populations of Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae, and Chloroflexi changed considerably. A 0-year sample and samples after continuous short- and long-term cropping, along with some with crop rotation, were gathered into three individual clusters. The findings of the rotation sample were similar to those of the sample of continuous long-term cropping. Cropping is the main cause of changes in the structure of the bacteria community; however, the new structure formed under continued duress of both long-term cotton cultivation and the associated farming methods gradually stabilizes after 10 years of repeated fluctuations. Crop rotation can lead to the rapid recovery of some species of soil bacteria.