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Agriculture
Special Issues
Plant-Microbe-Soil Interactions in Agroecosystems
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Plant-Microbe-Soil Interactions in Agroecosystems

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2021) | Viewed by 28160

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Riccardo Scotti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7UQ, UK
Interests: microbial ecology; metagenomics; soil microbiome; gut microbiome; bacteria-host interactions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the major challenges of the twenty-first century is the sustainable intensification of agricultural production that must be achieved by limiting the ecological footprint. The growing concerns of people over the intensive use of chemicals in agriculture are resulting in an increased attention towards more environmentally sound crop management. A better knowledge of plant-microbe-soil interaction can help us to move to more sustainable strategies and reduce the use of conventional chemicals in agriculture. On one hand, microbes can stimulate plant growth and can enhance plant health by reinforcing crop resilience to biotic or abiotic stresses. On the other hand, some microorganisms are plant pathogens, which endanger plant health and negatively affect crop production. Microbes also play a crucial role in plant-soil interactions, regulating factors in biogeochemical cycling of elements (carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus) and contributing to ecosystem stability and environmental quality.

On these bases, the aim of this Special Issue is to cover state-of-the-art developments and recent progress in different aspects related to the plant-microbe-soil interactions in agroecosystems. We welcome the submission of all types of manuscripts (original research and reviews) that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Plant effect on microbe-mediated ecological processes
  • Plant resistance, modulated by microorganisms, to biotic and abiotic stresses
  • Plant interaction with rhizosphere and phyllosphere microbiome
  • Next generation sequencing technologies to study plant–microbe interactions
  • Effect of microorganisms on plant yield and quality
  • Molecular mechanisms underlying plant-microbe interactions

Dr. Riccardo Scotti
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

  • PGPR
  • beneficial microorganisms
  • soil metagenomic
  • sustainable agriculture
  • NGS
  • field crops
  • pest management
  • microbial ecology
  • biofertilizers
  • symbiosis
  • endophytes

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 5566 KiB  
Article
Implication of Urochloa spp. Intercropping and Conservation Agriculture on Soil Microbiological Quality and Yield of Tahiti Acid Lime in Long Term Orchard Experiment
by Ana Carolina Costa Arantes, Simone Raposo Cotta, Patrícia Marluci da Conceição, Silvana Perissatto Meneghin, Rodrigo Martinelli, Alexandre Gonçalves Próspero, Rodrigo Marcelli Boaretto, Fernando Dini Andreote, Dirceu Mattos-Jr. and Fernando Alves de Azevedo
Agriculture 2020, 10(11), 491; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10110491 - 22 Oct 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3771
Abstract
Techniques such as intercropping and minimum tillage improve soil quality, including soil microbial activity, which stimulates the efficient use of soil resources by plants. However, the effects of such practices in soil under citrus orchards have not been well characterized. In this study, [...] Read more.
Techniques such as intercropping and minimum tillage improve soil quality, including soil microbial activity, which stimulates the efficient use of soil resources by plants. However, the effects of such practices in soil under citrus orchards have not been well characterized. In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of mowing and intercrop species on soil microbiological characteristics beneath a Tahiti acid lime orchard. The orchard was planted using minimum tillage and intercropped with two species of Urochloa species (U. ruziziensis—ruzi grass; U. decumbens—signal grass), with two types of mowers for Urochloa biomass (ecological; conventional) and herbicide applications. The study was conducted over 10 years. The ecological mower made the largest deposition of the intercrop biomass, thus providing the lowest disturbance of soil microbial activity and increasing, on average over all 10 years, the basal soil respiration (45%), microbial biomass carbon (25%), abundance of 16S rRNA (1.5%) and ITS (3.5%) genes, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (30%), and providing a ca. 20% higher fruit yield. U. ruziziensis in combination with ecological mowing stimulated the abundance of the genes nifH (1.5%) and phoD (3.0%). The herbicide showed little influence. We conclude that the use of U. ruziziensis as an intercrop in citrus orchards subjected to ecological mowing can be recommended for improving and sustaining soil quality and citrus fruit production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe-Soil Interactions in Agroecosystems)
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15 pages, 2718 KiB  
Article
Inorganic Phosphate Solubilization by a Novel Isolated Bacterial Strain Enterobacter sp. ITCB-09 and Its Application Potential as Biofertilizer
by Gustavo Enrique Mendoza-Arroyo, Manuel Jesús Chan-Bacab, Ruth Noemi Aguila-Ramírez, Benjamín Otto Ortega-Morales, René Efraín Canché Solís, Antonio O. Chab-Ruiz, Katia I. Cob-Rivera, Benito Dzib-Castillo, Rodrigo Enrique Tun-Che and Juan Carlos Camacho-Chab
Agriculture 2020, 10(9), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10090383 - 1 Sep 2020
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 6201
Abstract
The excessive use of fertilizers in agriculture is mainly due to the recognized plant requirements for soluble phosphorus. This problem has limited the implementation of sustainable agriculture. A viable alternative is to use phosphate solubilizing soil microorganisms. This work aimed to isolate inorganic [...] Read more.
The excessive use of fertilizers in agriculture is mainly due to the recognized plant requirements for soluble phosphorus. This problem has limited the implementation of sustainable agriculture. A viable alternative is to use phosphate solubilizing soil microorganisms. This work aimed to isolate inorganic phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria from the soils of agroecosystems, to select and identify, based on sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, the bacterium with the highest capacity for in vitro solubilization of inorganic phosphate. Additionally, we aimed to determine its primary phosphate solubilizing mechanisms and to evaluate its effect on Habanero pepper seedlings growth. A total of 21 bacterial strains were isolated by their activity on Pikovskaya agar. Of these, strain ITCB-09 exhibited the highest ability to solubilize inorganic phosphate (865.98 µg/mL) through the production of organic acids. This strain produced extracellular polymeric substances and siderophores that have ecological implications for phosphate solubilization. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain ITCB-09 belongs to the genus Enterobacter. Enterobacter sp. ITCB-09, especially when immobilized in beads, had a positive effect on Capsicum chinense Jacq. seedling growth, indicating its potential as a biofertilizer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe-Soil Interactions in Agroecosystems)
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Review

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18 pages, 1110 KiB  
Review
Mortierella Species as the Plant Growth-Promoting Fungi Present in the Agricultural Soils
by Ewa Ozimek and Agnieszka Hanaka
Agriculture 2021, 11(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11010007 - 24 Dec 2020
Cited by 236 | Viewed by 17295
Abstract
In the most recent scientific reports based on the DNA or RNA-analyses a widespread presence of the filamentous fungi, Mortierella in various environments has been shown. Some strains of this genus belong to the plant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF) and are found in the [...] Read more.
In the most recent scientific reports based on the DNA or RNA-analyses a widespread presence of the filamentous fungi, Mortierella in various environments has been shown. Some strains of this genus belong to the plant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF) and are found in the bulk soil, rhizosphere and plants tissues. These microorganisms are also often found in the extremely hostile environments, responsible for improving access to the bioavailable forms of P and Fe in the soils, the synthesis of phytohormones and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase, and last but not least the protection of agricultural plants from pathogens. Furthermore, earlier reports classified Mortierella spp. as the saprotrophic microorganisms isolated from the forest litter, and nowadays their status as a very valuable decomposers in the agricultural soils was confirmed. The key features like the ability to survive under very unfavorable environmental conditions and the utilization of carbon sources contained in polymers like cellulose, hemicellulose, chitin make these fungi efficient as the agricultural inoculants. The growing interest in the application of Mortierella spp. is mainly due to the potential use of this genus in the increase of the nutrient uptake efficiency, positive effect in crop protection against adverse conditions, and reduction of chemical fertilizers and pesticides applied. Moreover, activities of Mortierella species selected from the wild or cultivated plants influence the soil microbiota and support the performance of the beneficial microorganisms enhancing significantly crop yield. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe-Soil Interactions in Agroecosystems)
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