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Advances in the Mechanisms and Control Strategies of Continuous Cropping Obstacles in Medicinal Plants

  • Mengwei Wu,   
  • Shuai Du,   
  • Miaojuan Guan,   
  • Xiang Luo,   
  • Yong Tan *

Received: 27 Nov 2025 | Revised: 16 Jan 2026 | Accepted: 06 Mar 2026 | Published: 19 Mar 2026

Abstract

Continuous cropping obstacles constrain the yield, medicinal quality, and sustainability of medicinal plant production. These obstacles arise from coupled changes in soil physicochemical properties, accumulation of bioactive metabolites with allelopathic potential, and rhizosphere microbial imbalance that increases disease pressure. This review summarizes typical symptoms and the progression of continuous cropping obstacles in medicinal-plant systems, with emphasis on allelopathy and microbe-associated processes that regulate metabolite persistence and pathogen enrichment. We further compare current mitigation options, including agroecological management, soil amendments, and microbiome-based interventions. Key priorities for future research are to establish causal links and effect sizes under field conditions, identify functional taxa and pathways that mediate metabolite turnover and disease suppression, and integrate multi-omics measurements with a small set of interpretable indicators to support early warning and targeted management for soil recovery and sustainable cultivation.

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Wu, M.; Du, S.; Guan, M.; Luo, X.; Tan, Y. Advances in the Mechanisms and Control Strategies of Continuous Cropping Obstacles in Medicinal Plants. Journal of Soil Biology 2026, 1 (1), 2.
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