AUTHOR=Li Ying , Shen Qi , An Xiaochi , Xie Yuanhuan , Liu Xiuming , Lian Bin TITLE=Organomineral fertilizer application enhances Perilla frutescens nutritional quality and rhizosphere microbial community stability in karst mountain soils JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1058067 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.1058067 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=Applications of normal organic fertilizer (OF) or organomineral fertilizer mixed with specific mineral powder (OMF) are important measures for developing organic agriculture in karst mountain areas. However, the influence of OF or OMF on the structure and function of soil microbial diversity and their relationship with crop yield and quality are still unclear. Based on soil science, crop science, and high-throughput sequencing methods, we investigated the changes of rhizosphere soil microbial communities of Perilla frutescens under different fertilization measures. Then, the relationship between P. frutescens yield and quality with soil quality was analyzed. The results showed that the addition of OMF or OF increased the amount of total carbon and total potassium in soil. OF, especially OMF, improved P. frutescens yield and quality (e.g., panicle number per plant, main panicle length, and unsaturated fatty acid contents). Both OF and OMF treatments significantly increased the enrichment of beneficial microorganism (e.g., Bacillus, Actinomadura, Candidatus_Solibacter, Iamia, Pseudallescheria, and Cladorrhinum). The symbiotic network analysis demonstrated that OF, especially OMF, strengthened the connection among the soil microbial communities, and the community composition became more stable. Redundancy analysis and structural equation modeling showed that the soil pH, available phosphorus, and available potassium were significantly correlated with soil microbial community diversity and P. frutescens yield and quality. Our study confirmed that OF, especially OMF, helped improve soil fertility and crop yield and quality in karst mountain soils.