Shifts in Rhizosphere and Bulk Soil Microbial Communities During the Second and Third Years of Ginseng Cultivation

Soil microbial communities regulate plant growth and nutrient cycling, yet their dynamics during early ginseng cultivation remain poorly understood. This study used Illumina MiSeq sequencing to characterize bacterial and fungal communities in rhizosphere and bulk soils from second- and third-year ginseng fields. Differences across growth periods were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Significant shifts in α- and β-diversity occurred in both soil rhizosphere and bulk soils, and distinct environmental factors shaped community structure. Correlation heatmaps, redundancy analysis (RDA), and Mantel tests identified associations between soil physicochemical properties and microbial taxa. Notably, soil location had a stronger effect on microbial variation than cultivation duration. Dominant bacterial genera were strongly correlated with NH4+-N, and fungal community composition was primarily driven by NH4+-N. These results demonstrate that early ginseng cultivation significantly alters soil microbial communities and provide a basis for sustainable agricultural practices and soil ecosystem management.