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Plants
Special Issues
Soil-Beneficial Microorganisms and Plant Growth: 2nd Edition
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Soil-Beneficial Microorganisms and Plant Growth: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 1039

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mohamed Anli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Patsy University Center, University of Comoros, Moroni, Comoros
2. Laboratory of Agro-Food, Biotechnology and Valorization of Plant Bioresources (AGROBIOVAL), Department of Biology, Faculty of Science Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University (CAU), Marrakesh, Morocco
Interests: organic and biological fertilizers; plants stress tolerance; biotic and abiotic stresses; plant-growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM); arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; bacteria of soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A Special Issue entitled “Soil-Beneficial Microorganisms and Plant Growth: 2nd Edition” is to be published in Plants. Beneficial microorganisms (BMs) and their potential positive impacts have garnered widespread interest in the agricultural sector. Indeed, BMs play a significant role in plant growth, development, and protection. Nevertheless, and with regard to the agro-biological approach, it is essential to emphasize that they also have the capacity to protect plants and soils against environmental stresses such as diseases, drought, salinity, and soil poverty.

In recent decades, the importance of BMs as natural biostimulants/biofertilizers has been evaluated, highlighting their potential in plant growth and soil fertilization. Furthermore, given the high global demand for food, the use of BMs is a major asset for sustainable development in agriculture.

The current developments and difficulties in developing novel BM formulations for growth promotion and plant protection are addressed in this Special Issue. Original research articles, reviews, and methodologies are welcome.

Dr. Mohamed Anli
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. Plants 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 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

  • plant growth-promoting microorganisms
  • plant physiology
  • biostimulants/biofertilizers
  • crop production
  • crop protection
  • soil-beneficial microorganisms
  • organic agriculture
  • climate change
  • environmental stresses

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4560 KB  
Article
Functional Changes of Rhizosphere and Non-Rhizosphere Soils Under the Decline of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Plantations
by Tao Kong, Zeyu Zeng, Haotian Cheng, Sinuo Bao, Lin Xiao, Tong Liu and Xiaoliang Zhao
Plants 2025, 14(18), 2819; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14182819 - 9 Sep 2025
Viewed by 349
Abstract
The decline of Mongolian Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) plantations in the “Three-North” shelterbelt region is closely linked to soil degradation. This study compared rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils across different stand ages, focusing on nutrient availability, microbial biomass, enzyme activities, [...] Read more.
The decline of Mongolian Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) plantations in the “Three-North” shelterbelt region is closely linked to soil degradation. This study compared rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils across different stand ages, focusing on nutrient availability, microbial biomass, enzyme activities, and soil particle morphology. Results showed that SOC and TN accumulated with age, whereas AP, AK, and pH declined in older stands, indicating progressive acidification. Results demonstrated that SOC and TN increased with stand age, whereas AP, AK, and pH exhibited a marked decline in the older stands (stands aged ≥ 40 years), reflecting progressive acidification and nutrient depletion. Rhizosphere soils consistently displayed higher SOC, TN, microbial biomass, and enzyme activities than non-rhizosphere soils, largely driven by root exudation and enhanced microbial turnover. The increasing Cmic/Nmic ratio with age suggested a fungal-dominated microbial community, which may exacerbate stand decline by fostering pathogenic fungi. Scanning electron microscopy revealed pronounced particle fragmentation and surface roughness with increasing stand age, particularly in rhizosphere soils, indicating root-driven physical and biochemical weathering. These findings highlight the synergistic effects of stand development and rhizosphere processes on soil structure and fertility, providing a theoretical basis for the sustainable management and restoration of declining plantations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil-Beneficial Microorganisms and Plant Growth: 2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 3221 KB  
Article
Drought Modulates Root–Microbe Interactions and Functional Gene Expression in Plateau Wetland Herbaceous Plants
by Yuanyuan Chen, Shishi Feng, Qianmin Liu, Di Kang and Shuzhen Zou
Plants 2025, 14(15), 2413; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152413 - 4 Aug 2025
Viewed by 433
Abstract
In plateau wetlands, the interactions of herbaceous roots with ectorhizosphere soil microorganisms represent an important way to realize their ecological functions. Global change-induced aridification of plateau wetlands has altered long-established functional synergistic relationships between plant roots and ectorhizosphere soil microbes, but we still [...] Read more.
In plateau wetlands, the interactions of herbaceous roots with ectorhizosphere soil microorganisms represent an important way to realize their ecological functions. Global change-induced aridification of plateau wetlands has altered long-established functional synergistic relationships between plant roots and ectorhizosphere soil microbes, but we still know little about this phenomenon. In this context, nine typical wetlands with three different moisture statuses were selected from the eastern Tibetan Plateau in this study to analyze the relationships among herbaceous plant root traits and microbial communities and functions. The results revealed that drought significantly inhibited the accumulation of root biomass and surface area as well as the development of root volumes and diameters. Similarly, drought significantly reduced the diversity of ectorhizosphere soil microbial communities and the relative abundances of key phyla of archaea and bacteria. Redundancy analysis revealed that plant root traits and ectorhizosphere soil microbes were equally regulated by soil physicochemical properties. Functional genes related to carbohydrate metabolism were significantly associated with functional traits related to plant root elongation and nutrient uptake. Functional genes related to carbon and energy metabolism were significantly associated with traits related to plant root support and storage. Key genes such as CS,gltA, and G6PD,zwf help to improve the drought resistance and barrenness resistance of plant roots. This study helps to elucidate the synergistic mechanism of plant and soil microbial functions in plateau wetlands under drought stress, and provides a basis for evolutionary research and conservation of wetland ecosystems in the context of global change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil-Beneficial Microorganisms and Plant Growth: 2nd Edition)
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