Inclusion of caraway in the ryegrass-red clover mixture modifies soil microbial community composition

Summary

Perennial ryegrass-clover mixtures are widely used in intensively managed grasslands due to their high biomass production. Recent studies have shown that inclusion of competitive forbs such as plantain enhanced above-and below-ground biomass of ryegrass-red clover mixtures (Cong et al., 2016), while inclusion of forbs such as caraway in the grass-clover mixture largely maintained the herbage yield. Meanwhile, inclusion of forbs increases plant litter diversity, which could change root quality of the plant community. Hence, changes in quantity and quality of root litter in forb-containing grass-clover mixtures may potentially affect soil microbial community structure, biomass and associated ecosystem functions, but it is yet to be elucidated. We hypothesized that inclusion of plantain in the grass-clover mixture would enhance soil microbial biomas and functions through its high biomass production and thus belowground carbon (C) input.