Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Crop Production

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2024) | Viewed by 958

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: soil microbiology; microbial ecology; plant growth promotion; root symbionts; microbial communities
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Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: microbial ecology; plant–microbe interactions; microbial plant growth promotion; microbial processes; agricultural microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microbial communities in cultivated soils are the main drivers of crop success and are responsible for numerous vital ecosystem services. The plant-growth promotion process links the ability of microorganisms to provide nutrients and biostimulators to plants with a visible effect in the yield potential. The use of microbial inoculum in cropping systems has long been considered a viable solution to ensure supplementary nutrients, crop protection, biomass decomposition and the stability of soil fluxes.

The current Special Issue is focused on beneficial microorganisms used in cropping systems. The main interest is in single microorganism species or microbial consortia that can be used as biofertilizers, plant growth promoters, plant protection agents, organic matter decomposers, bioremediation processes and soil health promoters.

In this Special Issue, articles on microorganisms used in cropping systems are welcome. Original studies, perspectives, opinions, hypotheses, reviews, models and methodologies on sustainability and efficiency obtained with the use microorganisms; changes and improvements in biogeochemical cycles; assessments of microbial communities in treated vs. untreated soils; plant–microorganism–soil interactions; and the analysis of microbial functions, suppressive and resilient capacity will be appreciated.

Dr. Vlad Stoian
Dr. Roxana Vidican
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant-growth promotion
  • microbial consortia
  • biofertilizers
  • plant protection agents
  • suppressive microorganisms
  • sustainable cropping
  • soil health

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1305 KiB  
Article
The Presence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Rhizosphere of Transgenic Rapeseed Overexpressing a Trichoderma Thkel1 Gene Improves Plant Development and Yield
by Carlos Nicolás, Mónica Calvo-Polanco, Jorge Poveda, Ana Alonso-Ramírez, Julio Ascaso, Vicent Arbona and Rosa Hermosa
Agriculture 2024, 14(6), 851; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14060851 - 29 May 2024
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Abstract
Most of the plants belonging to the family of Brassicaceae are non-hosts for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). These plants are known to produce glucosinolates (GSL), a group of allelopathic compounds, with a role in plant defense. The overexpression of the Thkel1 from Trichoderma [...] Read more.
Most of the plants belonging to the family of Brassicaceae are non-hosts for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). These plants are known to produce glucosinolates (GSL), a group of allelopathic compounds, with a role in plant defense. The overexpression of the Thkel1 from Trichoderma harzianum in rapeseed (BnKel) plants, this gene encoding a protein that shares similarities with Brassicaceae plant’s nitrile-specifier and epithiospecifier proteins, modified GSL metabolism, reducing the accumulation of toxic isothiocyanates due to hydrolysis of these secondary metabolites. Here, we have analyzed the effect of AMF application on the GSL profiles and the development and yield of BnKel plants. Our results showed that the reduction of GSL compounds on transgenic plants was not enough to allow the formation of arbuscules and vesicles characteristics of an AMF mycorrhizal association. However, the inoculation of transgenic rapeseed plants expressing Thkel1 with AMF improved seed yield and fatty acid composition of the oilseed, showing a beneficial effect of AMF in these plants. The achievement of this effective beneficial association among mycorrhizas and rapeseed plants opens new opportunities in agribiotechnology for the use of AMF as biofertilizers in Brassicaceae crops with potential application in medical, animal and industrial biotechnology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Crop Production)
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20 pages, 4268 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Results of the Impact of Beneficial Soil Microorganisms on Okra Plants and Their Polyphenol Components
by Alaa Abdulkadhim A. Almuslimawi, Lívia László, Alhassani Leith Sahad, Ahmed Ibrahim Alrashid Yousif, György Turóczi and Katalin Posta
Agriculture 2024, 14(5), 776; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14050776 - 17 May 2024
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Abstract
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is a highly nutritious vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, offering numerous health benefits. Despite its nutritional value, okra remains underutilized in Europe; however, its cultivation and popularity may rise in the future with [...] Read more.
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is a highly nutritious vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, offering numerous health benefits. Despite its nutritional value, okra remains underutilized in Europe; however, its cultivation and popularity may rise in the future with increasing awareness of its advantages. In agricultural practices, beneficial soil microorganisms, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Trichoderma spp., Streptomyces spp., and Aureobasidium spp., play crucial roles in promoting plant health, enhancing agricultural productivity together with improved crop nutritional value. This study aimed to investigate the effects of individual and combined inoculation on the polyphenol content of okra fruits, as analyzed by HPLC. Moreover, growth parameters and glutathione-S-transferase enzyme (GST) activities of okra leaves were also estimated. Tested microorganisms significantly increased the yield of okra plants except for A. pullulans strain DSM 14950 applied individually. All microorganisms led to increased GST enzyme activity of leaves, suggesting a general response to biotic impacts, with individual inoculation showing higher enzyme activity globally compared to combined treatments. According to the polyphenol compound analysis, the application of tested microorganisms held various but generally positive effects on it. Only the combined treatment of F. mosseae and Streptomyces strain K61 significantly increased the coumaric acid content, and the application of Aureobasidium strain DSM 14950 had a positive influence on the levels of quercetin and quercetin-3-diglucoside. Our preliminary results show how distinct polyphenolic compound contents can be selectively altered via precise inoculation with different beneficial microorganisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Crop Production)
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