The communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi established by different winter green manures in paddy fields promote post-cropping rice production

Winter planting green manures in southern China effectively improve soil properties and rice production through microbial community construction. However, the effects of soil communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) from different winter planting green manures on the soil properties and post-cropping rice production remain unclear. In this study, the soil AMF communities of three common winter planting patterns in southern China, winter fallow, winter ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.), and winter Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.), were explored and their effects on post-cropping rice production were investigated. Compared with winter fallow, the winter ryegrass and winter Chinese milk vetch patterns could alleviate soil acidification, significantly increase soil AMF spore density, and improve the soil AMF community structure. Based on sterilized soil, rice production indicators such as thousand-seed weight, theoretical yield, and the grain amylose and total sugar contents of rice inoculated with AMF spores from winter Chinese milk vetch soil were 6.68–53.57% higher than those without AMF inoculation. Rice panicle weight, seed setting rate, and theoretical yield were 15.38–22.71% higher in the treatment with AMF spores from winter ryegrass soil than in the treatments with no AMF inoculation. In addition, the protein, amylose, and total sugar contents of rice grains were 14.92, 104.82, and 802.23 mg kg^–1, respectively, which were 31.31, 14.25 and 34.47% higher than those without AMF inoculation. The AMF community dominated by Glomus and Acaulospora in winter Chinese milk vetch had a more positive effect on the improvement of rice yield, while the AMF community dominated by Glomus in winter ryegrass soil was more conducive to rice quality improvement. These findings have revealed the critical role of AMF communities from green manure in rice production, which lays the theoretical basis for a promising strategy to promote the sustainable development of southern winter agriculture.