Plant-Soil Microbe Interactions in Ecosystems

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant–Soil Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 2398

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: soil microbiome; microbial ecology; microbial biogeography; plant microbiome; community assembly
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, Shanxi, China
Interests: soil microbial ecology; microbial biogeography; CO2-fixing microorganisms; degraded mining soil reclamation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant–soil microbe interactions play a crucial role in soil health, as well as the functioning and sustainability of ecosystems. Generally, plants interact with microbes by means of commensalism, mutualism, or parasitism. Plants release organic compounds through their root exudates and residue, which recruit and support a diverse community of soil microbes. In return, these microbes, including bacteria, fungi, archaea, protists, and viruses, participate in processes such as

nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, organic matter decomposition, and disease suppression, all of which contribute to promoting overall soil health and the plants it supports. However, understanding the functioning of soil ecosystems, both natural and managed ones, is difficult due to the complexity of interactions. It is required that we specify plant–soil microbe interactions and their effects on soil health as well as mechanisms. This Special Issue aims to collect research on plant–soil–microbe interactions related to soil health and productivity, microbial assembly and function, soil-borne plant disease and management, soil and plant nutrients regulation and mechanisms, etc.

Dr. Shuo Jiao
Dr. Jie Zhang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • soil health and productivity
  • microbial assembly and function
  • nutrients cycling and availability
  • plant growth promotion
  • ecosystem functioning
  • soil use and managements

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3991 KiB  
Article
Effects of Organic Fertilizer Addition to Vegetation and Soil Bacterial Communities in Saline–Alkali-Degraded Grassland with Photovoltaic Panels
by Aomei Jia, Zhenyin Bai, Liping Gong, Haixian Li, Zhenjian Bai and Mingjun Wang
Plants 2024, 13(11), 1491; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111491 - 28 May 2024
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Abstract
The Songnen grassland is an important resource for livestock production in China. Due to the intensification of anthropogenic activities in recent years, vegetation degradation has worsened, and the salinization of grassland has become increasingly serious, which severely affects the sustainable development of grassland [...] Read more.
The Songnen grassland is an important resource for livestock production in China. Due to the intensification of anthropogenic activities in recent years, vegetation degradation has worsened, and the salinization of grassland has become increasingly serious, which severely affects the sustainable development of grassland animal husbandry. In this study, organic fertilizer addition was carried out at saline-and-alkaline-degraded Songnen grassland sites with photovoltaic panels, and we investigated the effects of organic fertilizer treatments on the vegetation and soil bacteria in these areas. The results showed that both organic fertilizer treatments increased the community composition and diversity indices of plants (p < 0.05); they also had significant effects on soil electrical conductivity and rapidly available potassium (p < 0.05). In the dominant phylum of bacteria, the relative abundance of Firmicutes increased without adding organic fertilizer under the photovoltaic panel; the addition of organic fertilizer had a significant effect on the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Desulfobacterota (p < 0.05), reducing their relative abundance, respectively. There were differences in the number of bacteria at the genus level under different treatments compared to the control, with the highest enrichment of bacteria occurring at the OFE position, and a significant difference (p < 0.05) being found between the control and the other four groups at the genus level of g_norank_f_norank_o_Actinomarinales. Organic fertilizer had a significant effect on the bacterial Simpson diversity index, with the most significant increasing trend found in OFE (the front eaves of the photovoltaic panel in fertilization area). The results of a correlation analysis showed that pH, electrical conductivity, and total nitrogen were the main factors affecting the soil bacterial community. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Soil Microbe Interactions in Ecosystems)
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13 pages, 6386 KiB  
Article
How Rhizosphere Microbial Assemblage Is Influenced by Dragon Fruits with White and Red Flesh
by Xinyan Zhou, Siyu Chen, Lulu Qiu, Liyuan Liao, Guifeng Lu and Shangdong Yang
Plants 2024, 13(10), 1346; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13101346 - 13 May 2024
Viewed by 988
Abstract
The synthesis of betalain using microorganisms is an innovative developmental technology, and the excavation of microorganisms closely related to betalain can provide certain theoretical and technical support to this technology. In this study, the characteristics of soil microbial community structures and their functions [...] Read more.
The synthesis of betalain using microorganisms is an innovative developmental technology, and the excavation of microorganisms closely related to betalain can provide certain theoretical and technical support to this technology. In this study, the characteristics of soil microbial community structures and their functions in the rhizospheres of white-fleshed dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) and red-fleshed dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) were analyzed. The results show that the soil bacterial and fungal compositions in the rhizospheres were shaped differently between H. undatus and H. polyrhizus. Bacterial genera such as Kribbella and TM7a were the unique dominant soil bacterial genera in the rhizospheres of H. undatus, whereas Bradyrhizobium was the unique dominant soil bacterial genus in the rhizospheres of H. polyrhizus. Additionally, Myrothecium was the unique dominant soil fungal genus in the rhizospheres of H. polyrhizus, whereas Apiotrichum and Arachniotus were the unique dominant soil fungal genera in the rhizospheres of H. undatus. Moreover, TM7a, Novibacillus, Cupriavidus, Mesorhizobium, Trechispora, Madurella, Cercophora, and Polyschema were significantly enriched in the rhizospheres of H. undatus, whereas Penicillium, Blastobotrys, Phialemonium, Marasmius, and Pseudogymnoascus were significantly enriched in the rhizospheres of H. polyrhizus. Furthermore, the relative abundances of Ascomycota and Penicillium were significantly higher in the rhizospheres of H. polyrhizus than in those of H. undatus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Soil Microbe Interactions in Ecosystems)
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