Diversification of crop rotation systems shift rhizobiomes to facilitate crop performance

Diversified crop rotation systems might become a pillar of sustainable agricultural production through increasing crop diversity and reducing management intensity. Among the reasons for the success of these modern practices are inherent root-associated bacteria and fungi, the rhizobiome. However, the intimate link and feedback between crop diversification and the rhizobiome remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate rhizobiome changes induced by increasing crop diversification in four rotation systems in a long-term field experiment and their functional feedback on crop performance in a subsequent greenhouse study. We found that increasing crop diversification shapes rhizobiome composition in favour of potential plant beneficial rhizospheric microorganisms and a simultaneous reduction of plant pathogens