Effects of 3-year organic farming management on soil antibiotic resistant genes and virulence factors in a double rice cropping system

Investigating the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors (VFs) within soil microbial communities is crucial for understanding microbial ecology and the evolution of antibiotic resistance. However, the study of ARGs, VFs, and their predominant microbial hosts in soils under varying rice production management practices remains largely underexplored. To this end, a three-year field experiment was conducted under organic management within a double rice cropping system in South China. The study revealed that, in contrast to conventional management (CK), organic farming practices did not significantly alter the total reads of ARGs and VFs. However, there was a notable alteration in the ARGs abundance at the antibiotic class level, such as an increase (P