Dear Colleagues,

As plants grow, they alter the biotic and abiotic properties of the soil, which in turn affects the growth and survival of subsequent plants, a process known as plant–soil feedback (PSF). Soil sickness is a typical negative PSF with a reduction in crop yield when the same crop or its related species are grown successively on the same soil. Evidence suggests that the soil microbial community plays an important role in determining soil quality in terms of nutrient availability and pathogen defense. However, these specific microbes in the soil do not function independently but are involved in complex networks through competition, predation, and facilitation. Therefore, it is necessary to study how microbes interact in the soil to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for soil sickness with a reduction in beneficial microbes and an accumulation of pathogens. Many studies have shown that the abundance and diversity of bacteria and fungi changes in association with the cultivation of continuous monocultures. However, how continuous monocultures affect soil microbial interaction networks is largely unknown. For this reason, and with the increasing use of newly developed techniques such as next-generation sequencing, the functioning of the microbial community in soil sickness is receiving more attention than before.

In this Special Issue of Microorganisms, we invite you to submit papers on various aspects of the soil microbial community, such as beneficial and detrimental ones, in the development or alleviation of soil sickness in agroecosystems. In addition, manuscripts are welcome that address the application of organic amendments, biocontrol agents, biochar, and chemical fertilizers and their effects on the soil microbial community for treating soil sickness.

Dr. Mohamed Idbella
Prof. Dr. Giuliano Bonanomi
Guest Editors

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