Suppressing maize stalk rot through promoted rhizosphere microbial recruitment in cultivar mixtures

Overall, our results demonstrated that cultivar mixtures had a substantial impact on the assembly and keystone taxa of microbial communities in the rhizosphere and bulk soil, leading to a reduction in stalk rot occurrence and an increase in grain yield. This study demonstrated the potential for maize yield improvement through cultivar mixtures. These findings improved insights into how beneficial microbial communities in the rhizosphere contributed to the positive effects observed in cultivar mixtures.