Strawberry Performance and Rhizospheric Health Were Efficiently Improved After Long-Term Sheep Manure Organic Fertilizer Application

Reviewer #1: We are very thankful to the reviewer #1 for providing an accurate and to the point summary of our research. We are pleased to see this good understanding and support to our work. We have carefully revised our manuscript as your comments and suggestions.

Comment

Response

1

The introduction is difficult to understand; its presentation should be improved; it is too long, and the reference to strawberry cultivation is not engaging. There are paragraphs where it is unclear what the authors mean.

Thanks for good suggestions. The introduction presentation and the length have been improved as you suggested. The reference to strawberry cultivation has been improved in lines 45-48: “Strawberry was a very popular and commercially important fruit, with the planting area of up to 389,665 ha and 9,175,384 tons in the world. Of all countries, China ranked first, with the production of 3,380,478 tons[9]. It was of great importance to explore how to increase strawberry yield and nutritional quality in a sustainable way. “     

2

A paragraph on the economic implications of the use of different types of fertilizers should be incorporated with references

Thanks for good suggestions. The economic implications of the use of different types of fertilizers incorporated with references have been improved in lines 31-44, lines 52-64.

3

Introduction, A paragraph on current fertilization strategies in deebria strawberry crops will be included.

Thanks for good suggestions. Current fertilization strategies in strawberry crops have been included in lines 49-65.

4

1. Study site description

Specific information should be included.

The company where the fertilizers came from, and in the case of organic fertilizers, a reference that supports the fertilizer composition percentages.

Thanks for good suggestion. Study site description and specific information about fertilizers have been complemented in lines 78-86: “Two strawberry field experiment bases with different fertilizer application were chosen in Wangsi Town, Dayi County, Sichuan Province, China (103°28′E, 30°31′N, 548 m a.s.l.). The study site was located in subtropical humid climate area, with annual average precipitation of 1000 mm and annual average temperature of 16.1 ℃. The study was initiated in 2009. Composite inorganic chemical fertilizer (N: P₂O₅: K₂O =15:15:15), purchased from Guizhou Xiyang Industrial Co., Ltd, was applied in one base with the amount of 300 kg/hm². In the other base was SMOF application with the amount of 2500 kg/hm². SMOF produced by fermenting sheep manure naturally was purchased from Hongyuan County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Nutrient contents of SMOF were: organic matter 31.82%, N 1.76%, P₂O₅ 1.68%, K₂O 1.85%. "

5

Please be more specific about the statistical design, including the weights of the strawberry samples collected. Explain why you selected this type of sampling. If possible, include figures with photos of the sampling process.

Thanks for good suggestion. More specific information about the statistical design has been complemented in lines 90-106. The weights of the strawberry samples collected and the reason has been complemented in lines 99-106: “In each plot, in order to sample representative fruit samples, about 400 g ripe strawberry fruits were collected randomly as a composite fruit sample.” We are sorry that we didn’t take photos of the sampling process when we collected samples.

6

Section 2.3.-2.6

In the different protocols, it is appropriate to include the different equipment used, specifying the brand, company, and country of origin.

Thanks for good suggestion. In section 2.3-2.6, the different equipment used, specifying the brand, company, and country of origin has been complemented as you suggested.

7

2. Soil pH, bulk density, soil enzyme activity and soil nutrient content

Improve the discussion in this section by including updated and relevant references on these parameters and strawberry cultivars.

Thanks for good suggestions. The discussion about soil pH, bulk density, soil enzyme activity and soil nutrient content has been improved by including updated and relevant references on the parameters and strawberry cultivars has been improved lines 239-312.

 8

4. Strawberry photosynthetic pigment content and plant biomass

Improve the discussion in this section including updated and relevant references on these parameters and strawberry cultivars.

Thanks for good suggestion. The discussion about strawberry photosynthetic pigment content and plant biomass has been improved by including updated and relevant references on these parameters and strawberry cultivars in lines 390-395.

9

Paragraph Lines 436-438, page 11

Notably, it might be due to the enhanced synergistic action among different functional bacteria for SMOF application. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that the synergistic action among bacteria was enhanced in SMOF (Figure 8a-b).

Improve the discussion in this section including updated and relevant references on synergic action and strawberry cultivars or other. Studies of potential synergism should be conducted under an experimental design and with rigorous statistical analysis that supports the use of the term synergism. This needs to be improved or expanded.

Thanks for good suggestion. The discussion including updated and relevant references on synergic action and the potential synergism conducted under an experimental design and with rigorous statistical analysis supporting the use of the term synergism have been improved in lines 447-462.

10

The writing needs to be reviewed and improved in some paragraphs by the authors.

Thanks for good suggestion. The writing of the manuscript has been improved.

Reviewer #2: We sincerely appreciate the reviewer# 2 for providing an accurate and to the point summary of our research. We have carefully revised our manuscript as reviewer# 2 comments and suggestions.

Comment

Response

1

 The work appears confusing in some areas, starting from the title.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. The manuscript title has been revised: “Strawberry performance and rhizospheric health were efficiently improved after long-term sheep manure organic fertilizer application”.

2

Some key information is missing to understand the significance of the results obtained. In particular, the duration of the experiment is not clear. Please specify when the experiment started, when it ended and when you did the analysis. The phenological time of strawberry harvest is not mentioned.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. Some key information has been complemented:

1) In lines 80-81: “The study was initiated in 2009.” and in lines 90-106, the paragraph indicated that the study ended in 2024-2025 season, that we did the analysis of soil, strawberry leaves and fruits from December, 2024 and that the strawberry fruit yield evaluation was done during 2024-2025 harvest season.

2) The discussions about such  results as soil pH, bulk density, soil enzyme activity, strawberry photosynthetic pigment content and plant biomass and the enhanced synergistic action among bacteria in SMOF have been improved.  

3

 I believe the expression "is urgent" (used in lines 11 and 74) is an overstatement.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. The expressions “is urgent” used in lines 11 and 74 have been revised into “ meaningful” and “of great importance”, respectively.

4

Are all the references listed necessary? Many of them are old and are not specifically about strawberries. I suggest consulting Scopus, where you can find specific references, even very recent ones.

Thanks for good suggestion. The introduction has been improved with the updated references related with strawberries or others.

5

The abbreviation CF should be used the first time when you mention the chemical fertilizers (line 13, not 32).

Thanks for good suggestion. The abbreviation CF used the first time in abstract and in introduction has been complemented.

6

 Please review your English from line 12 to 14, it’s confused. 

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. The English expression from line 12-14 has been improved: “In this research, the potential impacts of replacing chemical fertilizer (CF) with sheep manure organic fertilizer (SMOF) on strawberry rhizospheric bacteria, soil physichemical properties, strawberry fruit yield and nutritional quality were studied through strawberry field experiment with 16-year different fertilizer application.”

7

Please review your English.

Thanks for good suggestion. The English of our manuscript has been improved.