Understanding Long‐Term Influence of Agroforestry Systems on Soil Microbiome Dynamics and Their Ecological Importance in Restored Sodic Soils of Indo‐Gangetic Plains

ABSTRACT Agroforestry systems comprising silvipasture and silviculture were established on sodic soils and maintained for 30 years with the objective for soil restoration. Agroforestry systems improved soil physicochemical properties, which have been reported earlier. However, potential microbial mechanisms responsible for long‐term soil health recovery remained poorly understood. With this gap, metagenomics studies were conducted on restored sodic soils as well as barren sodic soils to compare their microbial community structure, interactions, and functional potential. Alpha diversity indices viz: Shannon and richness showed on par changes between restored and barren sodic soils; however, microbial evenness was significantly higher under restored conditions, indicating community reorganization. In contrast, beta diversity indicated community differences between restored sodic soil and barren sodic soils. Under restored sodic soils, enrichment of important soil beneficial bacterial taxa can also be seen. The bacterial co‐occurrence networks indicated a shift from weak, competitive, and poorly modular microbial networks in barren sodic soils to high modular and cooperative networks under agroforestry systems. Dominance of important ecological pathways for carbon sequestration and nitrogen fixation was found in restored soils, whereas sodic soils exhibited more of methanogenesis and nitrogen loss pathways. Implementation of long‐term agroforestry systems not only restored sodic soils via physicochemical amelioration but also by restructuring microbial communities and enhancing key ecological functions for soil health.