Changes of the microbial community in soybean plots treated with biochar and poultry litter

The application of organic materials that promote beneficial microbial activity is vital to maintaining soil health and crop productivity. We investigated the effect on the soil microbiome of applying biochar (BC), poultry litter (PL) and a combination of biochar and poultry litter (BC/PL) in the soybean plots at the Red River Research Station (Bossier City, Louisiana, USA). We characterized the microbial community profiles, soil characteristics associated with the microbial structure, and microbial co-occurrence from microbial sequencing data to infer microbial inter-actions in the soybean field with the soil samples collected from the first and second years of each soil treatment (2016 and 2017, respectively)