Microbiology Applied to Crop Systems

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 October 2023) | Viewed by 8382

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Agrobiology, Ufa Institute of Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa 450054, Russia
Interests: agrobiotechnologies; pseudomonas; PGPB; plant growth stimulant; biofungicides; destruction of organohalogen compounds; pesticides pressure

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganisms (in particular PGPM) are promising for the development of effective and environmentally friendly microbiological plant growth regulators and antidotes based on them. The potential advantage of microorganisms is their versatility. They are simultaneously able to stimulate growth, suppress pathogens, increase fertility, destroy pesticides, and integrate into the rhizosphere biome, which prolongs their effect. Rhizospheric and endophytic microorganisms affect the absorption of nutrients by the plant, and their reaction to herbicides, drought, salinization, and pollution. However, the effectiveness of PGPM strongly depends on the circumstances in which they are used. Currently, new information appears on the compatibility of microbiological regulators with different agricultural practices. The combination of beneficial microorganisms with pesticide treatment is of interest since pesticides are widely used and are associated with environmental risks.

The effect of combining microbial stimulants or biopesticides with a variety of traditional and innovative agricultural practices, including herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, fertilizer, no-till, drip irrigation and others; microbiomes of soil, rhizosphere and phyllosphere during these agricultural practices; the potential for microbiological transformation and detoxification of pesticides; mitigating of pesticide pressure on plants by microbiological agents are scientific questions that are primarily discussed in this Special Issue. Additionally, the scientific contribution to the investigation of the crop-PGPM interactions under stress caused by unfavorable natural and anthropogenic factors is approved.

Original research manuscripts as well as reviews are welcome and interdisciplinary and field research is encouraged.

Dr. Sergey Chetverikov
Prof. Dr. Guzel Kudoyarova
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • crop yield
  • plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPM)
  • biopesticide
  • microbiom
  • plant-microorganism interaction
  • environmental stress
  • pesticide detoxification

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1959 KiB  
Article
Influence of a Hydrocarbon Biodestructor on the Growth and Content of Phytohormones in Secale cereale L. Plants under Petroleum Pollution of the Soil
by Yulia Sotnikova, Anna Grigoriadi, Vadim Fedyaev, Margarita Garipova, Ilshat Galin, Guzal Sharipova, Anna Yamaleeva, Sergey Chetverikov, Dmitriy Veselov, Guzel Kudoyarova and Rashit Farkhutdinov
Agriculture 2023, 13(8), 1640; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13081640 - 21 Aug 2023
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Abstract
The phytoremediation of soil contaminated with petroleum depends on the association of plants with rhizosphere bacteria capable of promoting plant growth and destroying petroleum hydrocarbonates. In the present work, we studied the effects of “Lenoil” biological product containing bacteria Pseudomonas turukhanskensis IB 1.1, [...] Read more.
The phytoremediation of soil contaminated with petroleum depends on the association of plants with rhizosphere bacteria capable of promoting plant growth and destroying petroleum hydrocarbonates. In the present work, we studied the effects of “Lenoil” biological product containing bacteria Pseudomonas turukhanskensis IB 1.1, capable of destroying petroleum hydrocarbons on Secale cereale L plants, which previously proved to be resistant to the weak oil pollution of gray forest soil and to the composition of microorganisms in their rhizosphere. The composition of microorganisms in the rhizosphere of rye roots was studied, morphometric parameters of shoots and roots of rye plants were estimated, and hormone concentration was immunoassayed under conditions of 4% petroleum pollution of the soil. Addition of petroleum to the soil increased the content of oligonitrophilic (by 24%) and hydrocarbon-oxidizing (by 33%) microorganisms; however, the content of cellulolytic (by 12.5 times) microorganisms in the rhizosphere decreased. The use of Lenoil led to a further increase in the number of cellulolytic (by 5.6 times) and hydrocarbon-oxidizing (by 3.8 times) microorganisms and a decrease in the number of oligonitrophilic (by 22.7%) microorganisms in the rhizosphere. Under petroleum pollution, the content of auxins (IAA), zeatin riboside, zeatin nucleotide, and zeatin decreased, while the content of abscisic acid (ABA) increased in the shoots of rye plants. Lenoil treatment led to an eight-fold increase in the IAA content in the roots and a decrease in the ABA content in the aerial part and in the roots. It was shown for the first time that the treatment of petroleum-contaminated soil with “Lenoil” increased root mass due to the development of lateral roots, concurrent with high root IAA content. Petroleum pollution increased the deposition of lignin and suberin in the roots, which strengthened the apoplastic barrier and, thus, reduced the infiltration of toxic components. The deposition of suberin and lignin decreased under ”Lenoil” treatment, indicating a decrease in the concentration of toxic petroleum components in the soil degraded by the bacteria. Thus, the biological preparation reduced the growth-inhibiting effect of petroleum on rye plants by increasing the content of growth-stimulating phytohormones (IAA and cytokinins) and reducing the content of ABA, justifying the importance of further study of relevant hormones for the improvement of phytoremediation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiology Applied to Crop Systems)
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13 pages, 3133 KiB  
Article
Effects of Watermelon Cropping Management on Soil Bacteria and Fungi Biodiversity
by Mei Tian, Jinjin Liang, Shengfeng Liu, Rong Yu and Xingxu Zhang
Agriculture 2023, 13(5), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13051010 - 04 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2271
Abstract
Watermelons grown in sandy soil are rich in trace elements, particularly selenium, and are therefore also known as selenium-rich sand watermelons. However, continuous watermelon cultivation in the same sandy field decreases soil fertility and degrades the ecosystem, ultimately resulting in low-quality watermelons. Introducing [...] Read more.
Watermelons grown in sandy soil are rich in trace elements, particularly selenium, and are therefore also known as selenium-rich sand watermelons. However, continuous watermelon cultivation in the same sandy field decreases soil fertility and degrades the ecosystem, ultimately resulting in low-quality watermelons. Introducing different crops into the crop pattern could alleviate the problems posed by continuous cropping. A field experiment was conducted to explore the effects of different crop patterns on soil microbial communities and soil properties via standard techniques. The results showed that 14,905 bacterial and 2150 fungal operational taxonomic units were obtained and assigned to eight bacterial and five fungal phyla, respectively. Soil bacterial communities primarily comprised Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria, and the soil fungal community was dominated by Ascomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Basidiomycota. Different crop patterns had a significant effect on the Chao and ACE indexes of fungal communities in the soil. The rotation of six years of watermelon and one year of wheat had the highest richness indexes of all the rotations. Different crop patterns had significant effects on soil properties, such as organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), total potassium (TK), available phosphorus (AP), available K, nitrate nitrogen (NN), and pH. The soil OM, TN, NN, and pH of six years of watermelon and one year of wheat cultivation were significantly higher than those of the other three crop patterns. In addition, the soil TK and AP of the continuous watermelon planting treatment were significantly higher than those of the other three crop patterns. Redundancy analysis results revealed many complex relationships between soil properties and soil bacterial or fungal communities. Employing different crop patterns plays an important role in the effective regulation of soil microbial diversity and properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiology Applied to Crop Systems)
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18 pages, 4546 KiB  
Article
Endophytic Bacteria Isolated from Tea Leaves (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) Enhanced Plant-Growth-Promoting Activity
by Md. Humayun Kabir, Kridsada Unban, Pratthana Kodchasee, Rasiravathanahalli Kaveriyappan Govindarajan, Saisamorn Lumyong, Nakarin Suwannarach, Pairote Wongputtisin, Kalidas Shetty and Chartchai Khanongnuch
Agriculture 2023, 13(3), 533; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13030533 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3101
Abstract
Tea (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) is a traditional and economically important non-alcoholic beverage-producing plant grown in large plantations in the northern region of Thailand and has a diverse community of endophytic bacteria. In this study, a total of 70 bacterial isolates [...] Read more.
Tea (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) is a traditional and economically important non-alcoholic beverage-producing plant grown in large plantations in the northern region of Thailand and has a diverse community of endophytic bacteria. In this study, a total of 70 bacterial isolates were isolated from healthy asymptomatic samples of tea leaves from five different tea gardens in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Based on 16S rDNA sequence analysis, these bacterial isolates were taxonomically grouped into 11 different genera, namely Bacillus, Curtobacterium, Enterobacter Microbacterium, Moraxella, Neobacillus, Priestia, Pseudarthrobacter, Pseudomonas, Sporosarcina, and Staphylococcus. All these isolates were evaluated for their potential to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophores, and cellulolytic enzymes while having phosphate-solubilizing and tannin tolerance capacity. Most isolated bacterial endophytes belonged to the Bacillus genus and exhibited multiple plant-growth-promoting abilities. All bacterial endophytes could produce varied concentrations of the indole-related compounds, and the strain Curtobacterium citreum P-5.19 had the highest production of IAA at 367.59 µg/mL, followed by Pseudarthrobacter enclensis P-3.12 at 266.97 µg/mL. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of the total isolates solubilized inorganic phosphate, while 77%, 65%, and 52% were positive for extracellular proteases, cellulases, and pectinases, respectively. Remarkably, 80% of the isolates were capable of growth on nutrient agar supplemented with 1% (w/v) tannic acid. C. citreum P-5.19 and P. enclensis P-3.12 were selected for evaluation of plant growth promotion, and it was found that both bacterial endophytes enhanced seed germination rate and improved seedling growth parameters such as fresh and/or dry weight, root length, and shoot lengths of sunflower and tomato seeds. The selected bacterial endophytes isolated from tea leaves in this study could be used in bioformulation for plant growth promotion and advancing sustainable agricultural practices contributing to the decreased use of chemical inputs. This is the first report of an endophytic bacterium, Pseudarthrobacter enclensis, being isolated from C. sinensis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiology Applied to Crop Systems)
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Review

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24 pages, 3145 KiB  
Review
Influence and Role of Fungi, Bacteria, and Mixed Microbial Populations on Phosphorus Acquisition in Plants
by Yu Luo, Lige Ma, Qirui Feng, Huan Luo, Chen Chen, Shuqi Wang, Yue Yuan, Can Liu, Xulv Cao and Nannan Li
Agriculture 2024, 14(3), 358; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14030358 - 23 Feb 2024
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Abstract
Phosphorus (P) stands as a pivotal macroelement in relation to the growth of plants. It plays a significant role in physiological processes, as components of biofilms and nucleotides, and in metabolic activities within plants. The deprivation of phosphorus detrimentally impacts the growth and [...] Read more.
Phosphorus (P) stands as a pivotal macroelement in relation to the growth of plants. It plays a significant role in physiological processes, as components of biofilms and nucleotides, and in metabolic activities within plants. The deprivation of phosphorus detrimentally impacts the growth and developmental of plants. However, the rhizosphere’s beneficial fungi and bacteria augment the efficacy of phosphorus uptake, participate in the molecular regulation of phosphorus, stimulate physiological alterations in plants, and facilitate signal transmission. In order to give readers a better understanding of the effects and positive roles of soil beneficial fungi and bacteria in regulating plant phosphorus acquisition and transport, this present review introduces the role and influence of rhizosphere microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) in assisting plant phosphorus absorption, and summarizes the key phosphorus transporters found in their interaction with plants. Using mixed microbial populations as composite microbial fertilizers has a positive effect on plants under phosphorus-deficiency conditions. It will be conducive to a better understanding of the mutualistic relationship between fungi, bacteria, and plants to provide a way to reduce the application of phosphorus fertilizers efficiently, and to provide a research background for the development of microbiological fertilizers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiology Applied to Crop Systems)
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