Agriculture by Irrigation Modifies Microbial Communities and Soil Functions Associated With Enhancing C Uptake of a Steppe Semi-Arid Soil in Northern Patagonia

The transformation of the semiarid steppe soil after 5 years intensive irrigated agriculture in Northern Patagonia was analyzed an on-farm study. private grower venture used conservative practices, including no-till to maintain structure, high crop rotation and cover crops. To characterize changes by agriculture, we enzymatic activities involved biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus sulfur), whole fatty acids profile, state aggregation, bacterial fungal microbiota through DNA sequencing methods. After management, increased organic matter (25–33%), -Cellobiose-hydrolase (60–250%), Phosphatase (35–60%), Xylanase (101–185%), Aryl-sulphatase (32–100%), Chitinase (85%), ?-Glucosidase (61–128%), Leucine-aminopeptidase (138%)—depending on series, macro-aggregate formation at expense abundance micro-aggregates first 0–5 cm soil. Whole profiles changed, enhancing mono-unsaturated, branched, cyclic methylated acids. Microbial communities showed significant differences between sites pristine valleys. richness-based alpha-diversity established but decreased cultivated Indicators selected using LEfSe method revealed taxa Acidothermus, Conexibacter Thermoleophilum , associated with while Asticcacaulis, Aquicella Acromobacter agriculture. Ascomycota Phylum changed its community composition, being both Aspergillus Alternaria reduced Stagonospora Metarhizium were enhanced Taxa belonging Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi Betaproteobacteria that enriched soils, higher capture C smaller values abundant soils Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria Firmicutes positively aggregation negatively uptake.