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Microorganisms
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Effect of Microbial Communities for Environmental Protection and Development of...
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Effect of Microbial Communities for Environmental Protection and Development of Agriculture, Second Edition

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 795

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Alejandro Rodriguez-Sanchez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Water research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Interests: applied microbiology; next-generation sequencing; biological wastewater treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

 Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue, “Effect of Microbial Communities for Environmental Protection and Development of Agriculture” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/microorganisms/special_issues/ZDN7T344JR).

Microorganisms are significantly small life forms; however, they are represented in enormous numbers in every environment worldwide and, thus, play very important roles in the ecosystem functioning in both natural and engineered environments. Their different capabilities are already being used for many applications, among which agriculture is one of the most prominent. In this way, the fate of planet Earth and humanity lies substantially on the microbial communities that inhabit our planet.

Unfortunately, human progress is subjecting our planet to environmental deterioration. This fact is tied to human progress and cannot be avoided, though it can be addressed. There is a crucial need for engineering solutions to remediate the affection that the human population has for the ecosystems of our world. The enormous impact that microbial communities play on the ecosystem functioning on Earth can, thus, be a very important tool for harnessing and alleviating the negative impact that humanity has worldwide, as well as potentiating human processes that rely on their activities. Environmental engineering solutions for the protection of the environment and enhancement of agricultural production are, therefore, essential.

For these reasons, this Special Issue is important for environmental protection and agriculture potentiation based on microbial engineering. Novel approaches for applying microbes to the bioremediation of environments, prevention of pollution, and enhancement of agricultural activity deserve an important spotlight, which we aim to provide. In addition, studies that successfully apply microbial engineering in the environment and agricultural fields are welcome due to the fact that they provide initial frameworks for the regional application of these techniques to further protect the environment and enhance agricultural yield.

Thus, this new Special Issue of Microorganisms entitled ‘Effect of Microbial Communities for Environmental Protection and Development of Agriculture’ gathers contributions on the following topics:

  • Novel techniques for the bioremediation of environmental pollution in the environment;
  • The effects of pollutants on environmental microbial communities and the adaptation process of microbes to environmental stresses of pollution;
  • The use of microbial communities to increase agricultural yield and quality;
  • The use of microorganisms for the protection of plants in agricultural fields against biotic and abiotic stresses;
  • Regional applications of environmental engineering strategies based on microbial communities.

Dr. Alejandro Rodriguez-Sanchez
Guest Editor

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. Microorganisms 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 2700 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

  • environmental microbial communities
  • environmental protection
  • agriculture potentiation
  • bioremediation
  • ecosystem functioning
  • biotic and abiotic stresses

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3756 KiB  
Article
Reducing Cd Uptake by Wheat Through Rhizosphere Soil N-C Cycling and Bacterial Community Modulation by Urease-Producing Bacteria and Organo-Fe Hydroxide Coprecipitates
by Junqing Zhang, Shuangjiao Tang, Hao Wei, Lunguang Yao, Zhaojin Chen, Hui Han, Mingfei Ji and Jianjun Yang
Microorganisms 2025, 13(6), 1412; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061412 - 17 Jun 2025
Viewed by 321
Abstract
The bioavailability of heavy metals is profoundly influenced by their interactions with active soil components (microorganisms, organic matter, and iron minerals). However, the effects of urease-producing bacteria combined with organo-Fe hydroxide coprecipitates (OFCs) on Cd accumulation in wheat, as well as the mechanisms [...] Read more.
The bioavailability of heavy metals is profoundly influenced by their interactions with active soil components (microorganisms, organic matter, and iron minerals). However, the effects of urease-producing bacteria combined with organo-Fe hydroxide coprecipitates (OFCs) on Cd accumulation in wheat, as well as the mechanisms underlying these effects, remain unclear. In this study, pot experiments integrated with high-throughput sequencing were employed to investigate the impacts of the urease-producing bacterial strain TJ6, ferrihydrite (Fh), and OFCs on Cd enrichment in wheat grains, alongside the underlying soil–microbial mechanisms. The results demonstrate that the strain TJ6-Fh/OFC consortium significantly (p < 0.05) reduced (50.1–66.7%) the bioavailable Cd content in rhizosphere soil while increasing residual Cd fractions, thereby decreasing (77.4%) Cd accumulation in grains. The combined amendments elevated rhizosphere pH (7.35), iron oxide content, and electrical conductivity while reducing (14.5–21.1%) dissolved organic carbon levels. These changes enhanced soil-colloid-mediated Cd immobilization and reduced Cd mobility. Notably, the NH4+ content and NH4+/NO3− ratio were significantly (p < 0.05) increased, attributed to the ureolytic activity of TJ6, which concurrently alkalinized the soil and inhibited Cd uptake via competitive ion channel interactions. Furthermore, the relative abundance of functional bacterial taxa (Proteobacteria, Gemmatimonadota, Enterobacter, Rhodanobacter, Massilia, Nocardioides, and Arthrobacter) was markedly increased in the rhizosphere soil. These microbes exhibited enhanced abilities to produce extracellular polymeric substances, induce phosphate precipitation, facilitate biosorption, and promote nutrient (C/N) cycling, synergizing with the amendments to immobilize Cd. This study for the first time analyzed the effect and soil science mechanism of urease-producing bacteria combined with OFCs in blocking wheat’s absorption of Cd. Moreover, this study provides foundational insights and a practical framework for the remediation of Cd-contaminated wheat fields through microbial–organic–mineral collaborative strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Microbial Communities for Environmental Protection and Development of Agriculture, Second Edition)
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21 pages, 1894 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Cocoa Productivity Through Soil Health and Microbiome Enhancement: Insights from Organic Amendments and a Locally Derived Biofertilizer
by Jennifer E. Schmidt, Julia Flores, Luigy Barragan, Freddy Amores, Jr. and Sat Darshan S. Khalsa
Microorganisms 2025, 13(6), 1408; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061408 - 17 Jun 2025
Viewed by 358
Abstract
Despite growing interest in improving soil health on cocoa farms, applied research on the impacts of specific amendments on soil and plant outcomes is lacking. An integrated assessment of the impacts of two different organic amendments (compost and vermicompost) and a microbial biofertilizer [...] Read more.
Despite growing interest in improving soil health on cocoa farms, applied research on the impacts of specific amendments on soil and plant outcomes is lacking. An integrated assessment of the impacts of two different organic amendments (compost and vermicompost) and a microbial biofertilizer on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, as well as cocoa flowering, fruit set, and yield, was conducted in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Complementary culture-dependent and culture-independent methods were used to assess the impacts of amendments on microbial diversity, community composition, and specific taxa. Compost or vermicompost application affected soil chemical properties, including potassium, phosphorus, and sodium, and had small but significant effects on fungal beta diversity. Biofertilizer application slightly lowered soil pH and altered the total abundance of specific taxonomic groups including Azotobacter sp. and Trichoderma sp., with borderline significant effects on Azospirillum sp., Lactobacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., calcium-solubilizing bacteria, and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria. Amplicon sequencing (16S, ITS) identified 15 prokaryotic and 68 fungal taxa whose relative abundance was influenced by organic amendments or biofertilizer. Biofertilizer application increased cherelle formation by 19% and monthly harvestable pod counts by 11% despite no impact on flowering index or annual pod totals. This study highlights the tangible potential of microbiome optimization to simultaneously improve on-farm yield and achieve soil health goals on cocoa farms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Microbial Communities for Environmental Protection and Development of Agriculture, Second Edition)
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