Sulfur (S) is a macro-element required for life. S deficiency limits plant growth. Microorganisms carry out several essential steps in the recycling of organic and inorganic S in soils. Microbes and plants interact, mainly in the rhizosphere, but the mechanisms ruling these interactions and the extent of such relationships remain poorly understood. Here, we update current perspectives on the role of specific microorganisms involved in S cycling and the spatial interaction between plants and microbes. To contextualize the pitfalls of current approaches in studying soil S transformations, we review the current main established steps, redox reactions and microbial players in the S cycle. The incorporation of novel microbial taxa, namely those important for organic S mineralization, which may be important ecosystem players in terms of soil functionality, and of the spatial-temporal context at aggregate-level for the relevance of plant-microbe interactions, introduce important implications involving the role of microorganisms in the rhizosphere and require an integrated analysis. Herein, the rhizosphere is a focus – a habitat of selected low-abundance species, where important microbial groups act in S turnover and plant growth – while keeping a perspective on important microbial feedback S fluxes that may occur in bulk soils.

硫 (S) 是生命所需的宏量元素。S 缺乏限制了植物的生长。微生物在土壤中有机和无机硫的循环中执行几个基本步骤。微生物和植物相互作用，主要是在根际，但支配这些相互作用的机制和这种关系的程度仍然知之甚少。在这里，我们更新了当前对 S 循环中特定微生物的作用以及植物与微生物之间的空间相互作用的看法。为了将当前研究土壤 S 转化的方法的缺陷置于背景中，我们回顾了 S 循环中当前的主要既定步骤、氧化还原反应和微生物参与者。引入新的微生物类群，即那些对有机 S 矿化很重要的类群，就土壤功能而言，可能是重要的生态系统参与者，以及植物与微生物相互作用相关性的聚合水平的时空背景，引入了涉及微生物在根际作用的重要影响，需要综合分析。在这里，根际是一个焦点——一个选定的低丰度物种的栖息地，重要的微生物群体在那里发挥 S 周转和植物生长的作用——同时保持对可能发生在大块土壤中的重要微生物反馈 S 通量的看法。