Continuous cropping of common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) induces disease suppression via microbial community shifts

1. Continuous cropping of common vetch decreased yield and quality but reduced disease prevalence. 2. The effect of disease suppression was associated with altered soil microbial diversity, network stability, and community composition. Beneficial taxa ( Bacillus , Sphingomonas , Arthrobacter ) were enriched. 3. The shifts modulated nitrogen allocation and triggered induced systemic resistance. Pot experiments confirmed microbial-driven suppression of anthracnose in common vetch. Continuous cropping presents various challenges including land degradation, the proliferation of soilborne pathogens, diminished yields. However, it can also foster the development of positive plant–soil feedbacks. The related microbial mechanisms and the potential impact of aboveground diseases on its formation remain unclear. This study systematically assessed the growth, occurrence of disease, soil properties and complexity and stability of the rhizosphere microbial network of common vetch ( Vicia sativa L.) across different continuous cropping years. In this study, although continuous cropping decreased crop yield and quality, it reduced disease prevalence. The establishment of disease suppression was linked to a decrease in the incidence of disease, reduction in the soil nitrogen, decrease in microbial diversity and asymmetric alterations in the complexity and stability of the microbial network. Key beneficial microorganisms recruited in rhizosphere, such as Bacillus , Sphingomonas and Arthrobacter , were identified as potential contributors to disease suppression. The microbial-mediated soil legacy of anthracnose-infected modulated the growth-defense trade-off of common vetch by influencing the allocation of N and activating the plant’s induced systemic resistance. The study underscores the significance of microbial-driven suppression in modulating the beneficial microbiome and offers novel insights into sustainable strategies of disease management in agricultural systems.