Paper Details

PJB-2025-199

Fluctuations in soil microbial communities and co-occurrence networks at various growth stages of Artemisia annual L.

Chu Yang, Hong-Hao Huo, Shi-Qiong Luo and Zhan-Nan Yang
Abstract

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Artemisia annua L. has received substantial attention as a source of the antimalarial compound, artemisinin, with the maximum content being observed during the squaring (bud emergence) period. However, dynamic fluctuations in microbial communities and co-occurrence networks in the soil of A. annua during plant growth remain unclear. In this study, pot experiments were performed using A. annua from two provenances to analyze its growth and major bioactive components to elucidate the responses of plant-associated indices and soil microbial communities (SMCs) at different growth stages of the plant. Furthermore, correlations between SMCs and A. annua growth parameters were explored. The results revealed that the activities of three soil enzymes (phosphatase, sucrase, and urease), plant height, branch numbers, as well as artemisinin and total polyphenol contents were increased with the progression of A. annua growth. However, soil physicochemical properties exhibited a contrasting trend. As A. annua growth progressed, the richness and diversity of soil bacteria generally decreased, whereas those of soil fungi increased, and microbial co-occurrence networks became less complex. Microbial communities fluctuated to varying degrees during the pot-culture process. Proteobacteria (31.5–48.4%) and Ascomycota (21.9–84.1%) accounted for the highest ratio of bacteria and fungi phyla, respectively, and had the maximum bacterial and fungal abundances during the nutritional flourish and flower bud differentiation stages of A. annua, respectively. Some SMCs were significantly positively or negatively (p≤0.5) correlated with plant growth parameters and major bioactive components of A. annua. Some microbial communities closely interplayed with soil physicochemical traits and enzyme activities. Our results provide evidence that SMCs in the soil of A. annua vary at different growth stages, and are closely correlated with plant fitness and artemisinin content.

 

To Cite this article: Yang, C., H.H. Huo, S.Q. Luo and Z.N. Yang. 2026. Fluctuations in soil microbial communities and co-occurrence networks at various growth stages of Artemisia annual L. Pak. J. Bot., 58(4): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2026-4(10)  
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