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Agronomy
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From the Lab to the Field: Towards the Application of...
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From the Lab to the Field: Towards the Application of Plant-Growth-Promoting Microorganisms in Crop Production

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 2143

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Myrto Tsiknia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry Lab, Department of Natural Resources and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos St., Athens 118 55, Greece
Interests: plant-growth-promoting microorganisms; arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; microbial biostimulants; microbial inocula; plant-associated and soil microbiome; soil fertility; plant performance; crop productivity; sustainable agriculture; soil remediation
Dr. Nektarios Kavroulakis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, Hellenic Agricultural Organization - DEMETER, 73164 Chania, Greece
Interests: plant microbe interactions; plant pathogens; microflora diversity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural management practices adopted during the “Green Revolution” secured global food production for decades, up to now. However, this came with a cost on the natural resources, resulting in soils with low fertility, increased salinization and declined biodiversity, vulnerable to degradation and erosion. This negative environmental legacy is now being added to the pressing factors of global population increment and climate change, once more placing global food security at risk.

The roots and rhizospheres of the plants we cultivate are habitats for highly diverse microbial communities that support agricultural ecosystem functions and productivity. Beneficial plant- associated microorganisms such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plant-growth-promoting bacteria/fungi are considered drivers of crop productivity under low-input sustainable agriculture management. Beneficial microorganisms enable plants to receive a wide range of benefits, such as increased tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses, the biological control of pathogens, as well as enhanced nutrient and water acquisition and growth. Selecting, combining, formulating and applying these microorganisms to the soil-plant systems is challenging. Understanding how crops and beneficial microorganisms introduced as inocula interact with each other and the soil environment is the path towards sustainable agricultural management to minimize environmental costs and energy inputs, and to maintain yield and ensure food security.

This Special Issue aims to provide a collection of research works on the feedback of microbial inocula applications at the plant–soil continuum that will add knowledge towards an efficient scaled-up application from the lab to the field. We welcome manuscripts, both original research papers and review articles, which provide new insights into the effects of microbial inocula on plant performance, plant-associated microbial diversity, and soil fertility.

Dr. Myrto Tsiknia
Dr. Nektarios Kavroulakis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • plant-growth-promoting microorganisms
  • arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
  • microbial biostimulants
  • microbial inocula
  • plant-associated and soil microbiome
  • soil fertility
  • plant performance
  • crop productivity
  • sustainable agriculture
  • soil remediation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 1818 KiB  
Article
Alternative Starter Fertilization Strategies in Maize (Zea mays L.) Cultivation: Agronomic Potential of Microgranular Fertilizer and Plant Growth-Promoting Microorganisms and Their Impact on the Soil Native Microbial Community
by Lena Geist, Renate Wolfer, Richard Thiem, Matthias Thielicke, Bettina Eichler-Löbermann, Frank Eulenstein and Marina E. H. Müller
Agronomy 2023, 13(12), 2900; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13122900 - 25 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 767
Abstract
Phosphorous (P) starter fertilization can increase maize (Zea mays L.) yield. Widespread application in soils with sufficient P availability leads to environmental risks. Subsequently, alternative strategies to support the maize plant’s early development are needed to lower P surpluses. Here, we conducted [...] Read more.
Phosphorous (P) starter fertilization can increase maize (Zea mays L.) yield. Widespread application in soils with sufficient P availability leads to environmental risks. Subsequently, alternative strategies to support the maize plant’s early development are needed to lower P surpluses. Here, we conducted field experiments comparing standard starter fertilizer diammonium phosphate (DAP) (20.1 kg P ha−1) to microgranular fertilizer (MG) (2.4 kg P ha−1) and combined in-furrow inoculation with Bacillus atrophaeus and mycorrhizal fungi (Rhizoglomus irregulare, Funneliformis mosseae, and Funneliformis caledonium), alone and in combination. The soil microbial community inside and between the maize rows was monitored by quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based quantification of eight fungal and bacterial groups. The yield did not vary between fertilization with DAP or MG and no fertilizer control. The combined microorganism inoculum (MO), however, enhanced the yield by 4.2%. The soil microbial community composition was not affected by the MO application. However, on one field site and inside the rows, it leads to a significant increase in overall microbial gene copy numbers by 9.3% and a significant decrease in the relative abundance of the bacterial phylum of Bacillota (Firmicutes) by 18%. The in-furrow MO application is thus a promising option for starter fertilizer replacement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From the Lab to the Field: Towards the Application of Plant-Growth-Promoting Microorganisms in Crop Production)
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13 pages, 2005 KiB  
Article
Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Lowland Rice Growth and Yield (Oryza sativa L.) under Different Farming Practices
by Kammala Waththe Asanka Madhushan, Samantha C. Karunarathna, Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Dharmasiri Dissanayake, Tikka Devage Chamarika Priyadarshani, Steven L. Stephenson, Abdallah M. Elgorban, Turki M. Dawoud, Alviti Kankanamalage Hasith Priyashantha, Dongqing Dai, Pinnaduwage Neelamanie Yapa and Xiaoyan Wang
Agronomy 2023, 13(11), 2803; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13112803 - 13 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1091
Abstract
In this study, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth and yield responses of Sri Lankan lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) with the application of beneficial Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculum and intercropping with highly mycorrhizal-dependent vetiver grass (Chrysopogon [...] Read more.
In this study, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth and yield responses of Sri Lankan lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) with the application of beneficial Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculum and intercropping with highly mycorrhizal-dependent vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L.) under two different soil nutrient management systems (NMSs): conventional/chemical (CNMS) and organic (ONMS). The experiment was designed as a split plot with three blocks. Each CNMS and ONMS experiment included an untreated control (T0) and three treatments—AMF inoculation (T1), vetiver intercropping (T2), and the combination of AMF and vetiver (T3). According to the results, the colonization of rice roots with AMF was not affected significantly by the treatments and ranged from 0–15.8%. The effect was very low or absent in the early stage and then higher in the later stages of the rice plant. Furthermore, plant growth was not significantly different between the two NMSs, although grain yield was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in ONMS than for the respective controls (T0), with the order T1 (0.45 kg/m2) > T2 (0.42 kg/m2) > T3 (0.41 kg/m2) in CNMS and T2 (0.44 kg/m2) > T1 (0.41 kg/m2) > T3 (0.40 kg/m2), thus suggesting the utilization of AMF and vetiver in a lowland rice farming system is beneficial. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From the Lab to the Field: Towards the Application of Plant-Growth-Promoting Microorganisms in Crop Production)
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