Special Issue "Rhizo-Microbiome for the Sustenance of Agro-Ecosystems in the Changing Climate Scenario"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. R. Z. Sayyed
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, PSGVPM’s Arts, Science and Commerce College SHAHADA 425409 (KBC North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon) Maharashtra, 425409, India
Interests: plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria; microbial siderophores; microbial biopolymers
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Noshin Ilyas
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Botany, PMAS Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, 46300, Pakistan
Interests: plant–microbe interaction; stress physiology; environmental remediation
Prof. Dr. Hesham Ali El Enshasy
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Bioproduct Development (IBD), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai, Johor Bahru, 81310, Malaysia
Interests: microbiome; microbial bioprocess; microbial bioactive metabolites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable food production is one of the greatest global challenges, particularly in the context of ever-increasing human population and climate change due to various anthropogenic activities. Improving crop yield using traditional ways of adding agrochemicals in soil negatively impacts the health of soil, the environment, and agroecosystems and causes groundwater and crop food contamination, etc. Moreover, the extensive and non-targeted use of various agrochemicals results in pesticide resistance.

The crop microbiome and plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been regarded as among the most suitable strategies for sustaining the health of the soil, crop, and agroecosystem. PGPR plays a strategic role in the improvement of crop production under a changing climate, antioxidant defense and nutrient uptake in plants, sustainable management of plant disease (biocontrol), and seed priming. The crop microbiome plays a crucial role in the immunity of plants and their tolerance to various types of abiotic (drought, salinity, metal toxicity, pesticide residues) and biotic (pathogens, insects, pests, etc.) stresses. The crop microbiome and endophytic microbiome thus offer new opportunities for further research and development in plant growth and health.

Currently, the scientific world is experiencing a reinvigoration of microbial biotechnologies which can be used to improve agroecosystem functioning, utilizing the potential of the crop microbiome and PGPR for enhanced soil health, crop vigor, protection from abiotic and biotic stresses, development of resistance in plants, and removal of toxic substances from the soil. Thus, the increased awareness of the importance of microorganisms for plant and soil health has fueled a boom in research on PGPR.

This Special Issue on “Crop Microbiome for the Sustenance of Agro-Ecosystems in the Changing Climate Scenario” aims to gather contributions from scientists working in diverse disciplines related to:

  • The crop microbiome in plant health, plant immunity, plant defense, and plant growth promotion;
  • The crop microbiome in plant defense mechanisms;
  • Crop microbiome evolution;
  • Understanding the structure and function of the crop microbiome;
  • Resilience of the agricultural microbiome to climatic changes;
  • Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) for the improvement of crop production;
  • PGPR in the mitigation of abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, heat, metal ions, and pesticide residues;
  • PGPR in the mitigation of biotic stresses such as pathogens (bacterial, fungal, viral, etc.), insects, pests, etc.;
  • PGPR in antioxidant defense mechanisms;
  • PGPR in nutrient mineralization and nutrient uptake;
  • PGPR in plant growth promotion;
  • PGPR—biofertilizer formulations;
  • PGPR—biocontrol agent formulations.

Prof. Dr. R. Z. Sayyed
Dr. Noshin Ilyas
Prof. Dr. Hesham Ali El Enshasy
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 papers will be 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. Sustainability 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 1900 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

  • crop microbiome
  • PGPR
  • plant immunity
  • plant health
  • plant growth promotion
  • biocontrol
  • abiotic stress
  • biotic stress
  • antioxidant defense mechanisms
  • bioactive metabolites of PGPR
  • crop microbiome evolution
  • climate-resilient microbiome
  • PGPR in nutrient mineralization and nutrient uptake
  • PGPR—biofertilizer formulations
  • PGPR—biocontrol agent formulations

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Article
Halotolerant Microbial Consortia for Sustainable Mitigation of Salinity Stress, Growth Promotion, and Mineral Uptake in Tomato Plants and Soil Nutrient Enrichment
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8369; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158369 - 27 Jul 2021
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Abstract
Salinity significantly impacts the growth, development, and reproductive biology of various crops such as vegetables. The cultivable area is reduced due to the accumulation of salts and chemicals currently in use and is not amenable to a large extent to avoid such abiotic [...] Read more.
Salinity significantly impacts the growth, development, and reproductive biology of various crops such as vegetables. The cultivable area is reduced due to the accumulation of salts and chemicals currently in use and is not amenable to a large extent to avoid such abiotic stress factors. The addition of microbes enriches the soil without any adverse effects. The effects of microbial consortia comprising Bacillus sp., Delftia sp., Enterobacter sp., Achromobacter sp., was evaluated on the growth and mineral uptake in tomatoes (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) under salt stress and normal soil conditions. Salinity treatments comprising Ec 0, 2, 5, and 8 dS/m were established by mixing soil with seawater until the desired Ec was achieved. The seedlings were transplanted in the pots of the respective pH and were inoculated with microbial consortia. After sufficient growth, these seedlings were transplanted in soil seedling trays. The measurement of soil minerals such as Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Mn, and pH and the Ec were evaluated and compared with the control 0 days, 15 days, and 35 days after inoculation. The results were found to be non-significant for the soil parameters. In the uninoculated seedlings’ (control) seedling trays, salt treatment significantly affected leaf, shoot, root dry weight, shoot height, number of secondary roots, chlorophyll, and mineral contents. While bacterized seedlings sown under saline soil significantly increased leaf (105.17%), shoot (105.62%), root (109.06%) dry weight, leaf number (75.68%), shoot length (92.95%), root length (146.14%), secondary roots (91.23%), and chlorophyll content (−61.49%) as compared to the control (without consortia). The Na and K intake were higher even in the presence of the microbes, but the beneficial effect of the microbe helps plants sustain in the saline environment. The inoculation of microbial consortia produced more secondary roots, which accumulate more minerals and transport substances to the different parts of the plant; thus, it produced higher biomass and growth. Results of the present study revealed that the treatment with microbial consortia could alleviate the deleterious effects of salinity stress and improve the growth of tomato plants under salinity stress. Microbial consortia appear to be the best alternative and cost-effective and sustainable approach for managing soil salinity and improving plant growth under salt stress conditions. Full article
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Article
Biocontrol Activity of Aureubasidium pullulans and Candida orthopsilosis Isolated from Tectona grandis L. Phylloplane against Aspergillus sp. in Post-Harvested Citrus Fruit
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7479; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137479 - 05 Jul 2021
Viewed by 507
Abstract
This study aimed to isolate and identify moulds from rotten Citrus sinensis post-harvests and to investigate the activity of antagonist and biocontrol activity moulds that cause citrus fruit rotting. A total of 12 mould isolates were obtained. Following the pathogenicity test, two representative [...] Read more.
This study aimed to isolate and identify moulds from rotten Citrus sinensis post-harvests and to investigate the activity of antagonist and biocontrol activity moulds that cause citrus fruit rotting. A total of 12 mould isolates were obtained. Following the pathogenicity test, two representative mould isolates were selected and identified based on the sequence analyses of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the rDNA. Methods used in this study include isolation of fungal postharvest diseases, pathogenicity assay, antagonism assay, growth curve analysis, in vitro biocontrol assay, and molecular phylogenetic analysis. Two isolates of fungal postharvest diseases were determined as the most destructive pathogens. The biocontrol assay showed that isolates of Y1 and Y10 were capable to reduce the growth of fungal isolates K6 and K9 and mitigate up to 100% of the damage of sweet citrus fruits after 7 days of incubation. The moulds were identified as K6 (Aspergillus flavus sensu lato) and K9 (Aspergillus niger sensu lato). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Y10 yeast isolate was identified as Candida orthopsilosis, whereas the Y1 isolate had a close genetic relationship with Aureobasidium pullulans and possibly belongs to a new species. Further analysis is necessary to confirm this finding. Full article
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