Long-term soil health and microbiome responses to sustainable management under drought stress in tropical coffee agroecosystems

Abstract Background and aims Implementing sustainable crop management to improve soil health can bolster plant and soil resistance to drought stress. This study evaluated the long-term impact of sustainable soil management on soil health in tropical coffee agroecosystems, focusing on how these practices influenced plant yield and quality, as well as soil microbiome composition and function under drought treatment. Methods Plots were selected from a long-term experiment established in January 2016 in Lavras municipality, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, and treatments had been in place for 7 years by the end of the current study. Soil management treatments included: (i) annual coffee husk residue amendment within rows + permanent signal grass ( Urochloa decumbens ) cover between rows (CHUD), (ii) annual agricultural gypsum amendment within rows + permanent signal grass cover between rows (GUD) , and (iii) a control consisting of coffee monoculture with bare soil. Results Combining coffee husk + signal grass management improved chemical, physical, and biological soil health indicators compared to bare soil management. These practices were also associated with higher coffee yield and superior beverage quality. Soil fungal and bacterial communities responded to both management and water availability, and soil functional indicators assessed by enzyme activity showed greater resistance to the drought treatment under coffee husk + signal grass management . Conclusion Overall, this study indicates that combined residue amendment and soil cover may enhance long-term soil and crop responses in this tropical coffee agroecosystem, with evidence of greater resistance of soil functional indicators to the drought treatment used in the incubation assay.