Long‐term cropping system and manure effects on soil health parameters and associated soil‐borne pathogens

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dc.creatorMutai, Joyce
dc.creatorMedvecky, Beth
dc.creatorVanek, Steven J.
dc.creatorOjiem, John
dc.creatorBolo, Peter
dc.creatorKihara, Job
dc.creatorFonte, Steven J.
dc.date2025-05-25
dc.date2026-01-15T08:43:37Z
dc.date2026-01-15T08:43:37Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T13:36:36Z
dc.descriptionSoil‐borne pathogens reduce the performance of key food crops in sub‐Saharan Africa. Diversified cropping and nutrient management can enhance soil and plant health, limiting pathogen damage. To examine how management and soil health changes influence soil‐borne pathogens, we leveraged an 18‐year field trial in western Kenya, evaluating cropping systems typical of smallholder farms. We considered three cropping systems and two organic matter management strategies: continuous maize monocrop (M–M), Tephrosia in rotation with maize (T–M), maize intercropped with soybean (M–S), application or not of farmyard manure, and retention or removal of crop residues. We assessed soil physical and chemical properties and major soil‐borne pathogens—Fusarium, Pythium, root knot nematodes (RKN), and lesion nematodes. T–M rotation significantly improved permanganate oxidizable C (POXC), particulate organic matter (POM), aggregation, and available P, while reducing pH and bulk density, compared to other systems. M–S did not significantly improve soil health relative to M–M. Manure reduced RKN by 92% but increased Fusarium by 54%. Soil pH and POXC were negatively correlated with Pythium and RKN, while Fusarium correlated positively with POXC, total C, and aggregation. Overall, continuous nutrient mining and minimal organic inputs led to declines in key soil properties (pH, POXC, POM, aggregation, and total C), with implications for pathogen dynamics. Our findings highlight the importance of organic inputs in enhancing soil health and managing pathogens but caution against using Tephrosia in nematode‐infested soils, as it appears to be a suitable host and may not suppress their populations.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/179876
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/64775
dc.languageen
dc.publisherWiley
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceMutai, J.; Medvecky, B.; Vanek, S.J.; Ojiem, J.; Bolo, P.; Kihara, J.; Fonte, S.J. (2025) Long‐term cropping system and manure effects on soil health parameters and associated soil‐borne pathogens. Soil Science Society of America Journal 89(3): e70076. ISSN: 0361-5995
dc.subjectevaluation
dc.subjectcropping systems
dc.subjectsoil quality
dc.subjectsoil-borne organisms
dc.titleLong‐term cropping system and manure effects on soil health parameters and associated soil‐borne pathogens
dc.typeJournal Article

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