Bur clover soil legacy enhances rice growth and N:P homeostasis beyond total nitrogen enrichment

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Abstract

Diversified cropping systems incorporating legume pre-crops are widely advocated to enhance cereal performance under low-input conditions, but their benefits may involve mechanisms beyond biological nitrogen (N) fixation and total soil N enrichment. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a greenhouse inoculum-transfer experiment within a plant-soil feedback (PSF) framework. A common sterilized background soil was inoculated with live soils conditioned by rice (Oryza sativa L.), cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.), or bur clover (Medicago polymorpha L.) and crossed with five fertilization regimes. Rice-conditioned soil induced negative feedback, whereas cauliflower- and bur clover-conditioned soils generated positive feedback, with bur clover showing the strongest stimulatory effect. Soil total N was highest in rice-conditioned soil, indicating decoupling between total N stock and rice performance. Instead, the bur clover legacy reduced bulk density, increased water content, enhanced available N and P, elevated plant P, and shifted plant N:P regulation from plastic or weakly plastic responses toward strict homeostasis. Thus, the rotational advantage of bur clover is driven by coordinated improvements in soil resource availability and strengthened plant stoichiometric regulation rather than total N enrichment alone. These findings reframe the agronomic value of legume pre-crops from an integrated soil-plant nutrient stoichiometry perspective.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

legume–cereal rotation / plant-soil feedback / stoichiometric homeostasis / phosphorus availability / soil legacy / inoculum transfer

Highlight

	● Bur clover soil legacy generated the strongest positive feedback on rice growth.
	● Rotational benefit was decoupled from total soil N; the highest N pool produced the poorest growth.
	● Bur clover legacy lowered bulk density and concurrently increased available N and P.
	● Legume legacy shifted plant N:P regulation from plasticity toward strict homeostasis.
	● Resource coordination, rather than total N alone, explains the legume pre-crop advantage.

CHANGE HISTORY

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