{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T06:05:03Z","timestamp":1789538703165,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789516800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Plant Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Based on a long-term positioned field experiment in a wheat-maize double-cropping system, the regulatory mechanisms of nitrogen fertilizer legacy on soil-crop coordination and microbial functions remain unclear. A two-year field experiment was conducted with four treatments: CK: no N fertilizer applied during either wheat or maize seasons; W1M0: N carryover only during the winter wheat season; W0M1: N carryover only during the summer maize season; W1M1: N carryover during both wheat and maize seasons. Compared with the unfertilized control (CK), W1M0 and W0M1 increased average annual yields by 45.7% and 42.2%, respectively, while W1M1 increased by 58.6%. On average, W1M1 produced the highest yield (21.8\u00a0t ha\n                    <jats:sup>-1<\/jats:sup>\n                    ), with W1M0 and W0M1 achieving 91.9% and 89.7% of W1M1 yield, respectively. fertilization increased the abundance of predicted chemoheterotrophic functions. W0M1 influenced predicted N-transformation functions and fungal guilds. Bacterial community composition responded more strongly than fungal communities. Soil-crop coupling coordination varied dynamically with growth stages and N management patterns. PLS-SEM revealed that soil nitrogen content from the preceding wheat season explained 97.5% of the variance in subsequent maize soil physicochemical properties, which was 2.65 times higher than the corresponding explanatory power of maize-season N (36.8%), indicating a stronger predictive legacy of wheat-season N application on soil-crop coordination. In conclusion, seasonal N coordination is more crucial than total N input. Leveraging the superior legacy effect of wheat-season N application provides a scientific basis for precise fertilization regulation in rotation systems.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2026.1938392","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T05:33:06Z","timestamp":1789536786000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Season-specific nitrogen management shapes soil microbial communities and crop productivity in wheat\u2013maize rotation system"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Mengru","family":"Xue","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University","place":["Taiyuan, Shanxi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wenyang","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University","place":["Taiyuan, Shanxi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haosen","family":"Wei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University","place":["Taiyuan, Shanxi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zerong","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University","place":["Taiyuan, Shanxi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Baojin","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chuangyun","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University","place":["Taiyuan, Shanxi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peng","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University","place":["Taiyuan, Shanxi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fei","family":"Gao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University","place":["Taiyuan, Shanxi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"277","DOI":"10.1007\/s11104-023-06016-4","article-title":"Response of soil nutrients, enzyme activities, and fungal communities to biochar availability in the rhizosphere of mountainous apple trees","volume":"489","author":"Ahmad","year":"2023","journal-title":"Plant Soil"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-16-8877-5_23","article-title":"Challenges and threats posed by plant pathogenic fungi on agricultural productivity and economy","volume-title":"Fungal Diversity, Ecology and Control Management","author":"Anand","year":"2022"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3434","DOI":"10.1002\/ldr.5143","article-title":"Effects of soil conditioners on vineyard saline soil physicochemical properties and bacterial community in arid areas","volume":"35","author":"Chang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Land Degradation Dev."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.still.2024.106089","article-title":"Nitrogen substitution practice improves soil quality of red soil (Ultisols) in South China by affecting soil properties and microbial community composition","volume":"240","author":"Chen","year":"2024","journal-title":"Soil Tillage Res."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"280","DOI":"10.11869\/hnxb.2003.04.0280","article-title":"Study on nitrogen efficiencies of dry land wheat by 15N labeled fertilizer","volume":"17","author":"Dang","year":"2003","journal-title":"Journal of Nuclear Agricultural Sciences"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2209","DOI":"10.3864\/j.issn.0578-1752.2012.11.009","article-title":"Fate and residual effect of fertiliser nitrogen under winter wheat-summer maize rotation in North China Plain in meadow cinnamon soils","volume":"45","author":"Dong","year":"2012","journal-title":"Scientia Agricultura Sin."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2019.134088","article-title":"Optimizing nitrogen management to achieve high yield, high nitrogen efficiency and low nitrogen emission in winter wheat","volume":"697","author":"Duan","year":"2019","journal-title":"Sci. Total Environ."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2024.1416397","article-title":"Nitrogen fertiliser application rate affects the dynamic metabolism of nitrogen and carbohydrates in kernels of waxy maize","volume":"15","author":"Feng","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front. Plant Sci."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"307","DOI":"10.1007\/s11368-023-03609-5","article-title":"Soil microbes, carbon, nitrogen, and the carbon to nitrogen ratio indicate priming effects across terrestrial ecosystems","volume":"24","author":"Gaudel","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Soils Sediments"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7554\/eLife.84988","article-title":"Plant secondary metabolite-dependent plant-soil feedbacks can improve crop yield in the field","volume":"12","author":"Gfeller","year":"2023","journal-title":"eLife"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1038\/s41586-022-05481-8","article-title":"Cost-effective mitigation of nitrogen pollution from global croplands","volume":"613","author":"Gu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2022.885479","article-title":"Evaluating the impact of nitrogen application on growth and productivity of maize under control conditions","volume":"13","author":"Hammad","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front. Plant Sci."},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2025.1505526","article-title":"Coupling relationships between vegetation and soil in different vegetation types in the Ulan Buh Desert and the Kubuqi Desert","volume":"16","author":"Han","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front. Plant Sci."},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1177","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geoderma.2018.01.010","article-title":"Distinct soil microbial diversity under long-term organic and conventional farming","volume":"9","author":"Hartmann","year":"2014","journal-title":"ISME J."},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"331","DOI":"10.1007\/s10705-011-9433-5","article-title":"Fate of labeled urea-15N as basal and topdressing applications in an irrigated wheat\u2013maize rotation system in North China Plain: I winter wheat","volume":"90","author":"Jia","year":"2011","journal-title":"Nutr. Cycling Agroecosyst."},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2024.1485237","article-title":"A meta-analysis of the effects of nitrogen fertiliser application on maize (Zea mays L.) yield in Northwest China","volume":"15","author":"Jiang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front. Plant Sci."},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fsufs.2021.767998","article-title":"Contribution, utilization, and improvement of legumes-driven biological nitrogen fixation in agricultural systems","volume":"5","author":"Kebede","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. Sustain. Food Syst."},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soilbio.2021.108349","article-title":"Long-term excess nitrogen fertiliser increases sensitivity of soil microbial community to seasonal change revealed by ecological network and metagenome analyses","volume":"160","author":"Li","year":"2021","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"128","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apsoil.2017.12.005","article-title":"Effects of short-term fallow managements on soil microbial properties: A case study in China","volume":"125","author":"Li","year":"2018","journal-title":"Appl. Soil Ecol."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2993","DOI":"10.1007\/s00248-023-02297-5","article-title":"Phosphorus coupled with high nitrogen addition exerts a great influence on soil bacterial community in a semiarid grassland","volume":"86","author":"Li","year":"2023","journal-title":"Microb. Ecol."},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2022.1070817","article-title":"Effects of nitrogen input on soil bacterial community structure and soil nitrogen cycling in the rhizosphere soil of Lycium barbarum L","volume":"13","author":"Li","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front. Microbiol."},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6898","DOI":"10.1007\/s11356-020-11051-0","article-title":"Study on coupling coordination and spatiotemporal heterogeneity between economic development and ecological environment of cities along the Yellow River Basin","volume":"28","author":"Liu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research"},{"key":"B23","volume-title":"Sustainable Agriculture: Theories, Methods, Practices and Policies","author":"Liu","year":"2025"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2025.1700203","article-title":"The response and coupling coordination of soil moisture to vegetation in the Yellow River\u2019s primary tributaries: a multi-source data analysis of the Wanchuan River Basin","volume":"16","author":"Liu","year":"2026","journal-title":"Front Plant Sci"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"142","DOI":"10.1007\/s00203-021-02615-w","article-title":"The impact of different rotation regime on the soil bacterial and fungal communities in an intensively managed agricultural region","volume":"204","author":"Lu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Arch. Microbiol."},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj.8382","article-title":"Shifts in soil nutrient concentrations and C:N:P stoichiometry during long-term natural vegetation restoration","volume":"8","author":"Ma","year":"2020","journal-title":"PeerJ"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soilbio.2022.108627","article-title":"Organic and inorganic sulfur and nitrogen uptake by co-existing grassland plant species competing with soil microorganisms","volume":"168","author":"Ma","year":"2022","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apsoil.2023.104955","article-title":"Prominent use of lactic acid bacteria in soil-plant systems","volume":"189","author":"Murindangabo","year":"2023","journal-title":"Appl. Soil Ecol."},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apsoil.2021.104054","article-title":"Soil microbial community responses to long-term nitrogen addition at different soil depths in a typical steppe","volume":"167","author":"Niu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Appl. Soil Ecol."},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"544","DOI":"10.1016\/j.agee.2018.07.005","article-title":"Legacy effects of long-term nitrogen fertiliser application on the fate of nitrogen fertiliser inputs in continuous maize","volume":"265","author":"Poffenbarger","year":"2018","journal-title":"Agric. Ecosyst. Environ."},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.agee.2023.108512","article-title":"Ammonia loss potential and mitigation options in a wheat-maize rotation system in the North China Plain: A data synthesis and field evaluation","volume":"352","author":"Sha","year":"2023","journal-title":"Agric. Ecosyst. Environ."},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"569","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-arplant-061722-090342","article-title":"Mycorrhizal symbiosis in plant growth and stress adaptation: From genes to ecosystems","volume":"74","author":"Shi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Plant Biol."},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2023.1072216","article-title":"Soil amendment with cow dung modifies the soil nutrition and microbiota to reduce the ginseng replanting problem","volume":"14","author":"Tagele","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front. Plant Sci."},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.agwat.2021.107446","article-title":"Short-term legacy effects of rice season irrigation and fertilisation on the soil bacterial community of the subsequent wheat season in a rice-wheat rotation system","volume":"263","author":"Tian","year":"2022","journal-title":"Agric. Water Manage."},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijfoodmicro.2010.12.010","article-title":"Genomics and ecological overview of the genus Bifidobacterium","volume":"149","author":"Turroni","year":"2011","journal-title":"Int. J. Food Microbiol."},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soilbio.2023.108982","article-title":"Globally nitrogen addition alters soil microbial community structure, but has minor effects on soil microbial diversity and richness","volume":"179","author":"Wang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1007\/s10705-019-09995-y","article-title":"Residual effects of fertiliser N response to split N applications in semiarid farmland","volume":"114","author":"Wang","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nutr. Cycling Agroecosyst."},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eja.2024.127352","article-title":"Nitrogen reduction enhances crop productivity, decreases soil nitrogen loss and optimize its balance in wheat-maize cropping area of the Loess Plateau, China","volume":"161","author":"Wang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Eur. J. Agron."},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.still.2019.104491","article-title":"Divergence in fungal abundance and community structure between soils under long-term mineral and organic fertilisation","volume":"196","author":"Xiang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Soil Tillage Res."},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2025.1536524","article-title":"Enhancing soil health through balanced fertilisation: a pathway to sustainable agriculture and food security","volume":"16","author":"Xing","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front. Microbiol."},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"181","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soilbio.2018.02.010","article-title":"Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence decomposition and the associated soil microbial community under different soil phosphorus availability","volume":"120","author":"Xu","year":"2018","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"983","DOI":"10.1016\/j.agwat.2018.12.019","article-title":"Effects of water and fertiliser management on grain filling characteristics, grain weight and productivity of drip-fertigated winter wheat","volume":"213","author":"Yan","year":"2019","journal-title":"Agric. Water Manage."},{"key":"B43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3736","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-023-39464-8","article-title":"Plant community stability is associated with a decoupling of prokaryote and fungal soil networks","volume":"14","author":"Zandt","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nature Communications"},{"key":"B44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"210","DOI":"10.13870\/j.cnki.stbcxb.2018.04.033","article-title":"Study on the fate of nitrogen fertiliser applied to maize cropping system in the North China Plain","volume":"32","author":"Zhang","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Soil Water Conserv."},{"key":"B45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.agee.2022.108176","article-title":"Soil acidification caused by excessive application of nitrogen fertiliser aggravates soil-borne diseases: Evidence from literature review and field trials","volume":"340","author":"Zhang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Agric. Ecosyst. Environ."},{"key":"B46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"135","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soilbio.2015.12.012","article-title":"Thirty four years of nitrogen fertilisation decreases fungal diversity and alters fungal community composition in black soil in northeast China","volume":"95","author":"Zhou","year":"2016","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"B47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apsoil.2025.106219","article-title":"Fungal community is more sensitive to the short-term application of biochar in saline farmland soil than bacterial community","volume":"212","author":"Zhu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Appl. Soil Ecol."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Plant Science"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpls.2026.1938392\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T05:33:10Z","timestamp":1789536790000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpls.2026.1938392\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"references-count":47,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpls.2026.1938392"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpls.2026.1938392","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-462X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-462X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"article-number":"1938392"}}