Correlation between soil microbial communities and tobacco aroma in the presence of different fertilizers

Fertilizers promote plant growth through increasing plant nutrition and changing soil microbial communities. Here, the association between soil microbial communities and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) quality was investigated via high-throughput MiSeq sequencing and LC-GC-MS after applying fertilizers in purple soil. Biochar + chemical fertilizer (BC) and a high-carbon fertilizer + chemical fertilizer (HC) improved soil properties, including soil carbon and nitrogen pool, and increased the aroma of tobacco leaves by 19.38 % and 28.90 %, respectively. Biochar and high-carbon fertilizer increased the microbial diversity and altered their distribution, including improvement of unique bacteria, and Chao1 and Shannon indexes. Linear discriminant analysis identified 40 key phylotypes in response to fertilizers, including plant growth-promoting bacteria such as the genera Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas, Sphingobium, Haliangium and families Rhizobiaceae and Micrococcaceae, which are potentially associated with the quality of soil and tobacco plants. This study elaborates the mechanism underlying tobacco quality improvement by fertilizers and provides understanding of the methods for improving tobacco aroma.