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Agronomy
Special Issues
The Role of Phytobiomes in Plant Health and Productivity
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The Role of Phytobiomes in Plant Health and Productivity

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2025) | Viewed by 1592

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sylwia Siebielec

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation—State Research Institute, Czartoryskich 8, 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Interests: soil biodiversity; plant growth promoting rhizobacteria; biofertilisers; exogenous organic matter; soil remediation
Dr. Grzegorz Siebielec

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil Science Erosion and Land Protection, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation—State Research Institute, Czartoryskich 8, 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Interests: soil health; soil ecosystem services; soil advisory; soil degradation; valorisation of soil biodiversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the years, scientific research has uncovered new information on the role of bacteria in the natural environment. New findings were possible thanks to dynamic methodological progress in testing microbiomes, including the development of metagenomic approaches. Interactions between plants and associated bacteria are key to crop productivity and the adaptability of plants to the environment. We can now assume that these relationships are crucial for the resistance of ecosystems to natural and human-induced pressures.

With global climate change, more frequent episodes of extreme weather interact with plant functions and development. Moreover, the deterioration of the environment through erosion, the excessive grazing of animals, the destruction of the humus layer, and desertification or chemical soil pollution has led to a decrease in soil health, worsening plant growth conditions and crop vulnerability to drought. The loss of soil biodiversity might have affected the composition and functionality of the phytobiome.

Therefore, new information is needed to help us understand the role of the phytobiome in the interaction between climate change, soil health, and plant resistance. This Special Issue aims to cover, not exclusively, the following topics:

  • The phytobiome’s effect on crop immune mechanisms and productivity.
  • The phytobiome’s role in supporting plant resistance to drought and soil degradation.
  • The phytobiome as the source of beneficial bacteria that promote plant growth and development under unfavorable conditions, such as chemical stress and water scarcity.
  • The effect of mineral and organic fertilizers and other practices on phytobiome structure and functionality.
  • Methodologies for phytobiome testing.
  • The spatial and temporal diversity of the phytobiome.
  • The use of the phytobiome in supporting more effective nutrient use.
  • Mechanisms involved in stress signaling and responses of the phytobiome to abiotic and biotic plant stress.
  • The specificity of the phytobiome across soils and plant species and cultivars.

We welcome the submission of both research papers and reviews for this Special Issue.

Dr. Sylwia Siebielec
Dr. Grzegorz Siebielec
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

  • bacteria
  • plants
  • exogenous organic matter, soil degradation
  • drought
  • crop resistance

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 1893 KiB  
Article
Effect of Paulownia and Buckwheat Intercropping on Soil Microbial Biodiversity, Dehydrogenase Activity, and Glomalin-Related Soil Protein
by Małgorzata Woźniak, Marek Liszewski, Anna Jama-Rodzeńska, Elżbieta Gębarowska, Sylwia Siebielec, Agata Kaczmarek, Bernard Gałka, Dariusz Zalewski and Przemysław Bąbelewski
Agronomy 2025, 15(4), 888; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040888 - 2 Apr 2025
Viewed by 345
Abstract
Intercropping of trees and classical crops has been proposed as a practice to help adapt to climate change and protect soil against erosion. However, the effects of intercropping on soil biology are not sufficiently quantified. Therefore, the aim of this study was to [...] Read more.
Intercropping of trees and classical crops has been proposed as a practice to help adapt to climate change and protect soil against erosion. However, the effects of intercropping on soil biology are not sufficiently quantified. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate microbiological changes in the soil resulting from the intercropping of Paulownia and buckwheat. A field experiment, involving an intercropping and control no-tree variant, was conducted from 2019 to 2022 with a plot size of 30 m2. Buckwheat rhizosphere soil samples were collected twice in both 2021 and 2022 in order to evaluate the effects of intercropping on a range of parameters describing soil microbiome status: abundance of microorganisms, bacterial and fungal community structure (using Illumina MiSeq sequencing), dehydrogenases (DHA) activity, and total glomalin-related soil proteins (T-GRSP). In addition, the colonisation of buckwheat roots by fungi, yield, and biometric traits of the plant were determined. Next-generation sequencing showed that Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteria were dominant in the microbiome of every variant of the experiment, regardless of the crop. In contrast, the mycobiome was dominated by fungi classified as Ascomycota and Mortierellomycota. This observation corresponded to an increase in buckwheat yield in intercropped plots. Biometric traits, namely buckwheat yield and total kernel weight per plant, showed higher values when buckwheat was intercropped with Paulownia compared to the control. DHA activity was stimulated by intercropping at the first sampling date, whereas glomalin concentration and abundance of microorganisms were not dependent on the cropping systems tested. This study shows that tree-based intercropping (TBI) systems promote a more diverse soil microbial community and function than conventional agriculture. Our results also suggest that TBI positively impacts buckwheat biometric traits, supporting its implementation in rural landscapes. The yield under intercropping cultivation amounted to 0.65 t ha−1, while in control sites it was 0.53 t ha−1. The total abundance of bacteria under intercropping cultivation was higher compared to monoculture in 2021 at the first term of sampling (4.3 × 104) and in 2022 in the second term of soil sampling (4.6 × 104). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Phytobiomes in Plant Health and Productivity)
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21 pages, 3171 KiB  
Article
Saline–Alkali Tolerance Evaluation of Giant Reed (Arundo donax) Genotypes Under Saline–Alkali Stress at Seedling Stage
by Yangxing Cai, Xiuming Cao, Bin Liu, Hui Lin, Hailing Luo, Fengshan Liu, Dewei Su, Shi Lv, Zhanxi Lin and Dongmei Lin
Agronomy 2025, 15(2), 463; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020463 - 13 Feb 2025
Viewed by 691
Abstract
Soil salinization and alkalization are serious global challenges that adversely affect crop growth and yield. In this study, six genotypes of giant reed (Arundo donax) seedlings (LvZhou_No.1, LvZhou_No.3, LvZhou_No.6, LvZhou_No.11, LvZhou_No.12 and LvZhou_Var.) originating from different regions of China and Rwanda were [...] Read more.
Soil salinization and alkalization are serious global challenges that adversely affect crop growth and yield. In this study, six genotypes of giant reed (Arundo donax) seedlings (LvZhou_No.1, LvZhou_No.3, LvZhou_No.6, LvZhou_No.11, LvZhou_No.12 and LvZhou_Var.) originating from different regions of China and Rwanda were utilized as experimental materials. This study aimed to investigate the physiological and biochemical responses of various genotypes to saline–alkali stress and to identify stress-tolerant resources. A mixture saline–alkali solution with a molar ratio of NaCl: Na2SO4: NaHCO3: Na2CO3 = 1:1:1:1 was prepared at three concentrations (75, 150 and 225 millimolar (mM)) for a 7-day pot experiment. Growth and physiological indices were measured at the seedling stage, and salt tolerance was evaluated accordingly. The results indicated the following: the growth indices were significantly reduced across seedlings of all genotypes when the concentration of stress exceeded 150 mM (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in chlorophyll content (SPAD value) and maximum photochemical efficiency of PS II (Fv/Fm) with increasing saline–alkali stress. However, the photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs) and transpiration rate (Tr) exhibited decreasing trends, reaching their lowest levels at 225 mM. In contrast, the intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) value decreased to its lowest at 150 mM but increased at 225 mM. Relative electrical conductivity (REC) and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), proline (Pro) and soluble sugar (SS) increased progressively with higher stress concentrations. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) were significantly enhanced at stress concentrations above 150 mM. The saline–alkali tolerance of A. donax seedlings was comprehensively evaluated using principal component analysis and membership function analysis based on 15 parameters. The results indicate that Pn, Tr and Gs are effective physiological indicators for assessing saline–alkali tolerance of A. donax seedlings. The six genotypes were ranked for saline–alkali tolerance as follows: LZ_No.1 > LZ_No.11 > LZ_No.12 > LZ_Var. > LZ_No.3 > LZ_No.6. This indicates that LZ_No.1 shows the highest resistance to saline–alkali stress, whereas LZ_No.6 is the most severely affected, classifying it as a salinity-sensitive genotype. In conclusion, LZ_No.1 exhibits robust saline–alkali tolerance and represents a valuable germplasm resource for improving saline–alkali tolerance in A. donax propagation. The results not only support the development of resilient plants for saline–alkali environments but also offer insights into the mechanisms of salinity tolerance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Phytobiomes in Plant Health and Productivity)
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