Aims Plant-soil interactions play a pivotal role in governing ecosystem dynamics. Plants directly interact with rhizosphere microorganisms, providing them with labile carbon in exchange for mineral nutrients that are the product of decomposition. Such processes are modulated by ecological interactions between plant species in ways that are not fully understood. We assessed whether rhizosphere respiration

Aims To maximize the productivity of oats, and evaluate the effects of sowing density and fertilizer rate on the yield, root growth, leaf area index (LAI), water and fertilizer use efficiency of rainfed oats. Methods In 2022 and 2023, a two-factor randomized block design field trial was conducted under no irrigation in Northwest China during the oat planting season. Three sowing densities (low density

Aims Forest canopy density can change the soil function and quality by altering the understory microenvironment. A comprehensive assessment of soil quality is essential for the development of sustainable forest management practices. Methods In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of different canopy densities including forest gap (FG), forest edge (FE), medium-canopy density 0.4–0.6 (MCD),

Background and aims Cover crops support ecosystem services in agroecosystems, but their performance can be highly variable. Functional trait ecology provides a useful framework for understanding variation in cover crop performance across different growing conditions. However, trait variation within species remains understudied compared to variation between species. Methods In a two-year experiment

Aims Tree species associated with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) and arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) exhibit distinct strategies for nutrient acquisition. However, the effects of varying nitrogen (N) additions on the nutrient-acquisition strategies of fine roots in ECM and AM species have not been fully elucidated. Methods We investigated fine root traits, mycorrhizal colonization rates, and rhizosphere enzyme activity

Background and aims Human-induced increases in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition are considered significant threats to soil carbon (C) sequestration in northern peatlands. However, this hypothesis lacks validation with long-term simulation experiments and dating technology, which are crucial for accurately assessing C storage. Methods Using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dating technology

Aims Trichoderma asperellum is notable for promoting growth and enhancing the health of rootstocks, presenting a promising strategy for optimizing seedling development and orchard productivity. Identifying such strategies is essential for producing high-quality seedlings. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of T. asperellum application, in combination with different types and doses of fertilizer

Background and aims Climate warming can lead to changes in plant functional types (PFTs) in permafrost peatlands, which can subsequently affect soil properties and microbial functional structures. Although the effects of PFTs changes on soil microorganisms in various ecosystems have been documented, these effects are not well understood in permafrost peatlands. Methods This study investigated the impact

Background and aims Rice is prone to accumulating both inorganic arsenic (iAs) and organic arsenic species, such as dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). DMA is the primary causative agent of rice straighthead disease, a physiological disorder that leads to substantial yield losses. In this study, we investigated whether rice straw-derived biochar with different silicon (Si) contents and Si fertilizer can alleviate

Background and Aims Microorganisms are essential for carbon and nitrogen cycling in the active layer of permafrost regions, but the distribution and controlling factors of microbial functional genes across different land cover types and soil depths remain poorly understood. This gap hinders accurate predictions of carbon and nitrogen cycling dynamics under climate change. This study aims to explore

Background and aims Green manuring offers an effective approach to improve soil health and crop yield. However, the potential effects of green manuring on fruit quality and the underlying mechanisms have not been ascertained. This study investigated green manure-mediated metabolic changes in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) fruit quality and their relationship to the reshaping of rhizosphere

Background and Aims Biophysicochemical soil properties in the rhizosheath are pivotal for crop yields and drive organic carbon cycling in agricultural soils. Yet, it remains uncertain how moderate soil drought may alter and interfere with rhizosheath properties in diverse soil types, and whether specific rhizosheath traits benefit crop yields under different water availability in heterogeneous field

Background and aim Heavy metal-resistant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria can facilitate bioremediation, phytostimulation, and stress reduction in metal-contaminated soil, providing an environmentally friendly method for sustainable agriculture. In this study, we explored the mechanisms underlying the plant growth promotion effects of LZUR632, a strain that enhances the phytoremediation of Cd in

Background and Aims The limited number of known hyperaccumulator species in tropical regions, including Brazil, has hampered the development of nickel (Ni) agromining. In addition, the mechanisms underlying metal accumulation and distribution in these species remain poorly understood, despite their pivotal role in identifying species with economic potential. This study assessed the accumulation potential

Background and aim Copper (Cu) contamination greatly impacts soil health and ecological environment. However, the intracellular (subcellar level) and extracellular (rhizosphere microbiology level) mechanism by which Cu-resistant PGPR enhance Cu tolerance in Themeda japonica is still unclear. Methods In this study, we isolated the Cu-resistant PGPR Bacillus thuringiensis GZNUTJ21 from rhizosphere of

Background and aim Soil nutrient availability, acidification associated with plant phosphorus-mining strategies, and fine root foraging all influence nutrient cycling. However, their relative impacts on microbial nutrient cycling during primary succession remain unclear. Methods We studied a 130-year primary succession along the Hailuogou post-glacial chronosequence in southwest China. Early-successional

Background and Aims Ecological effects of biodiversity have been studied for several decades; however, at micro-scales, how genotype identity and richness within a species affect litter decomposition processes remains largely unknown. Methods A litter reciprocal incubation experiment of four Leymus chinensis genotypes (litter a ~ d; soil A ~ D) was carried out, including a mixture decomposition on

Background and aims Drought stress is a major driver of crop yield reductions in Brazil and other tropical regions. This study explores the mechanistic underpinnings of drought stress using a process-based root water uptake (RWU) model. We aimed to perform a comprehensive sensitivity analysis of the SWAP/MFlux model to simulate drought stress in long-term scenarios of soybean and wheat cultivation

Aims We conducted an updated meta-analysis on how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) improve the growth and phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) nutrition of plants infected by plant parasitic nematodes (PPN), and the effect of PPN on AMF root colonization, depending on AMF orders and PPN life habits. Methods We considered data from greenhouse experiments with AMF and PPN inoculation to perform a meta-analysis

Background and aims Continuous cropping and improper fertilization have led to frequent soil-borne diseases, which have seriously affected the yield of vegetables such as cucumbers, posing a major challenge to sustainable agricultural production. Although numerous studies have demonstrated the beneficial role of soil microorganisms in plant growth and health maintenance, their responses to bio-organic

Background and aims The mobilization of “legacy phosphorus (P)” in agricultural soils could be enhanced through organic material amendment, thereby increasing soil P availability and diminishing the reliance on chemical P fertilizers. This study aimed to elucidate the relationships between these enhancement effects, the decomposition of carbon (C) fractions, and the activation of P fractions. Methods

Background and aims Coal tailings, given their limited ecological functionality, frequently necessitate the investigation of innovative resource utilization methods. Soil aggregates, fundamental to soil structure and function, rely heavily on the content of organic matter and moisture during their formation. However, the impact of soluble and insoluble carbon sources on the durability and stability

Background Nitrogen (N) input is crucial for increasing soil nutrients and improving crop root architecture. Slow-release N fertilizer has been expected to regulate soil nutrient supply in the middle and later growth stage of wheat, but its effect on root architecture and soil nutrients and their interactions remains unclear. Methods and aims The self-made root canal-soil column system was used to

Background and aims Drought stress is a challenge to maize (Zea mays L.) production, especially in an era of unpredictable climate change and weather extremes. Maize is a source of calories for millions of people all over the world. It is a food security crop, and any yield loss has food security implications. This study examines the effects of soil microbes on maize growth and yield under drought

Background and Aims Prescribed burning is a widely used management technique, often employed to restore grasslands affected by woody plants encroachment. However, its interaction with pre-existing plant species in influencing soil properties remains unclear. Methods We conducted a diachronic soil survey to assess the evolution of several soil properties in the mid-term (up to 18 months) after burning

Background and Aims Soil salinization is a major cause of land degradation and ecological damage. Traditional soil salinity monitoring techniques are limited in coverage and scalability, while remote sensing offers broader applicability and efficiency. This study addresses spatiotemporal variations in soil salt content (SSC) inversion across crop types in Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia, China, using

Aim Halophytes are vital tools for saline-alkali land reclamation, in part due to their ability to establish stable rhizosphere microbial communities in saline environments. However, the mechanisms by which rhizodeposition mediates microbiome enrichment under salt stress remain poorly understood. Our objectives were to assess the impact of salinity on halophyte-rhizosphere microbe interactions and

Background and aims Manual separation of bare seedlings for peony planting is a challenging issue in the industry due to high labor consumption and low productivity. The study focuses on the interaction relationships between seedling-seedling and mechanism-seedling as well as the separation mechanism within a vibration field, aiming to provide new ideas for automated peony transplanting. Methods Firstly

Aims Fine-root traits are important for understanding the strategies plant species use to coexist in communities and persist in resource-limited environments. The extent to which aboveground and belowground strategies are coordinated is a continued subject of debate, and the role of fine-root traits in determining species responses to disturbance is largely unknown. Methods We measured fine-root traits

Aims Non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) can not only regulate various physiological activities but also reflect the carbon storage and availability of plants. However, the relationship between NSCs of absorptive roots and root economic space (RES) in woody plants, especially conifers and angiosperms, remains unclear. Moreover, how phylogeny and environment influence their relationships is unknown

Aims The temporal variations in ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) abundance, diversity, ecological characteristics and nitrification rate in the wheat rhizosphere, as well as the impact of exogenous nitrogen addition were investigated. Our goal was to elucidate the role of AOA in the nitrogen cycle of wheat rhizosphere ecosystems and a microbial perspective for sustainable agricultural development. Methods

Background and aims Tree diversity strongly regulates organic matter inputs by rhizodeposition for microorganisms and microbial communities, impacting soil carbon (C) dynamics and stability. Because of much larger organic C availability in the rhizosphere, it can respond differently to tree diversity compared to bulk soil. To explore soil C stability under global warming, we assessed the temperature

Introduction The transformation of agriculture is essential to addressing global sustainability challenges. Any transformation first requires a perspective. Our view of agriculture is linked to our view of naturalness, artificiality, and unnaturalness. A contrast exists between those who prioritize naturalness as a guiding principle and those who advocate for science and technology. This study examines

Aims Plant roots play a crucial role in soil stability and erosion prevention. Most studies currently focus on the macro-biomechanical properties of roots based on apparent diameter or stele size. However, these analyses cannot explain the factors affecting macro-biomechanical properties of roots from an endogenous perspective. Methods Tensile tests, scanning electron micrography (SEM), image-based

Aims Climate change threatens agriculture worldwide, and grasslands must adapt to withstand and mitigate the effects of extreme climatic events. While plant diversity may boost resilience, grassland responses to compound drought-heatwave (CDHW) events remain unclear. As young plants are particularly vulnerable to stress, this study investigated the effects of climate extremes during grassland establishment

Background and Aims The increase of extreme weather events due to climate change may alter ecosystem dynamics. In the tropics, little is known about how ecosystems and species will respond to droughts or floods. Identifying the most important biotic and abiotic factors in ecosystems at the local level is key to developing better forest management practices and understanding the effects of climate change

Background and Aims While much research has focused on the benefits of cover crop diversity for crop productivity, there is limited evidence on how root diversity and species selection stabilise soil. Although cover crops can potentially improve on-farm soil and water management, how they bind soil (through rhizosheath development) and whether multi-species cover crops offer additional benefits has

Background Plants harbor fungi within their internal tissues in mutualistic associations, interacting at the molecular level to bring about favorable changes for the host plant to reap ecological benefits, including increased growth, fitness, and stress tolerance. These fungi, known as endophytes, are universally present in all plants, with each host species harboring a specific fungal microbiome.

Background Biochar application has been widely acknowledged as an environment-friendly practice to promote soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilization and sequestration in agroecosystems. However, the interaction between fungal and minerals on organic carbon storage and stabilization with biochar application still remains unclear in saline-alkaline soil. Methods In the present research, this interaction

Background and aims In arid areas, the temporal and spatial distribution of water resources is a key factor determining plant growth, and plants’ self-regulated flexible water use patterns are beneficial for the survival of vegetation. This study investigates the impact of reservoirs on ecological forest water use patterns around a plain reservoir. Methods We established a systematic monitoring network to

Background and aims Red mud, an alkaline byproduct of aluminum smelting, can serve as a soil amendment to mitigate soil cadmium contamination. Rice uptakes cadmium mainly during the grain-filling stage after soils are drained. During the flooding-drainage process, substantial fluctuations in redox potential occur, and the effectiveness of red mud amendment under these conditions remains unresolved

Aims The vegetation in the Mu Us Sandy Land is characterized by a mosaic distribution of perennial semi-shrubs and biological soil crusts (BSCs). BSCs fulfill essential ecological functions, including soil and water conservation, as well as carbon and nitrogen fixation. This study investigates the mechanisms driving microbial community assembly and the evolution of multifunctionality in BSCs under

Aims As the population continues to grow, increasing demand for livestock products is driving the development of livestock systems worldwide. Intensive cultivation by diversifying sowing dates has gradually become an important option to meet the increasing demand for food. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the productivity of the mixed-cropping system changes under the adjustment of the

Background & aims Changing precipitation patterns require climate adaptive measures to improve water regulation. Deep vertical earthworm burrows dug by the anecic species Lumbricus terrestris contribute to water infiltration rate and capacity, and deeper plant root growth. L. terrestris is considered a native species to western Europe, reaching its highest abundances in pastures. In pastures where

Background and aims Comprehending the mechanisms of soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation is essential for maintaining soil fertility and combating climate change. However, the potential processes and roles of plant life cycle traits in regulating SOC accumulation over broad geographic scales remain unclear. Methods We generated a map of annual plant prevalence using occurrence/absence records of

Aims This study investigated how biogas fertilizer enhanced the yield and quality of G. pentaphyllum from a microecological perspective. Methods Field experiments were conducted with biogas fertilizer (BS) and without biogas fertilizer (CK). G. pentaphyllum samples, as well as rhizosphere and bulk soil samples, were collected. The yield and quality of G. pentaphyllum were assessed, and the physicochemical

Aims The aim of this work was to shed light on the still debated mechanisms of Ni tolerance in facultative serpentinophytes and their photosynthetic performance in presence of Ni. To this end, three non-serpentine and three serpentine accessions of Silene paradoxa L. collected in Tuscany were compared. Methods Plants were grown in hydroponics with NiSO4 treatments and root elongation, Ni accumulation

Background and aims Xinjiang is the largest cotton planting area in China. However, the perennial water shortage in Xinjiang restricts the development of the cotton industry, making drought one of the important limiting factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of water-saving scheme and thiamine (Thi) application on alleviating the adverse effects of drought stress on the growth

Background and aims Replant failure in Panax notoginseng (Sanqi) is often caused by root rot disease, which is exacerbated by continuous cropping. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and mechanisms of biogas slurry (BS) combined with Bacillus velezensis strain B19 in controlling root rot and improving soil health in Sanqi cultivation. Methods A pot experiment was conducted comparing untreated

Background and aims Along coastal habitats worldwide, Carpobrotus edulis is a highly invasive and detrimental species, that acts as an ecosystem engineer by modifying many soil properties for its own benefit. However, the combined effects of C. edulis and climate change on soil characteristics remain largely unknown. Methods To address this knowledge gap, we set up a factorial field experiment with

Abstract This study examined the effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (R), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (M), and compost (C) on wheat growth, yield, and drought tolerance. Methods Conducted with a randomized complete block design, the experiment involved two different irrigation water regimes: well-watered (WW) at 75% field capacity (FC) and drought-stressed (DS) at 25% FC. Results DS reduced

Background and aims Plant functional traits are key parameters of plant adaptation strategies to environmental changes and exhibit strong correlations with microbes. However, the differences in these relationships among plants with different resource strategies, particularly in relation to microbial eco-strategies, are not well understood. Methods We conducted a study on 18 whole-plant traits of 15

Background and aims Our previous studies indicated that nutrients (inorganic nutrients, IN; organic solutes, OS) played crucial roles in drought tolerance of desert xerophytes, which was closely related to the mutual combination and collaborative operation of nutrients (especially IN) to exert their comprehensive regulatory functions in plants. This study investigated the characteristic of main IN

Purpose Reductive soil disinfestation is an effective strategy for removing accumulated nitrate (NO3−-N) from topsoil in intensive vegetable fields via elevating NO3−-N consumption processes due to its water-saturated, strongly reductive, and carbon-rich characteristics. The duration of intensive vegetable cultivation may affect the relative importance of these consuming processes of NO3−-N during

Background and aims Biochar modification is an innovative approach to enhance its amelioration effect on saline-alkali soil. However, limited studies have compared the effects of different modified biochar on the improvement of saline-alkali soil. Methods A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the comparative effect of different biochar materials, including pristine biochar (PBC), acid-modified

Aims Antimonate (Sb(V)) toxicity to plant health is well-known, while a little is known about its uptake mechanism. The application of phosphate fertilizer is a common practice in agriculture. We aimed to study the interaction of phosphorus (P) and Sb(V) in Salvia spinosa L. Methods The effects of 50 and 300 μM K2HPO4 on Sb(V) uptake (0 or 50 μM) were investigated for 2, 4 and 6 days in a hydroponic

Background and aims Achnatherum inebrians is main poisonous bunchgrass in the grassland of northern China. Nematodes are the most prevalent and diverse group of multicellular animals in terrestrial ecosystems. The effects of endophytic fungus – A. inebrians symbiosis on nematodes were investigate to find a solution to control harmful nematodes in the soil so the crop can reach high yield level. Methods

Background and aims Tree dieback is increasing worldwide, threatening the biodiversity and functioning of many terrestrial ecosystems. Tree dieback is associated with multiple interconnected changes in community composition and ecosystem processes. These changes affect plant, fauna and soil microbial communities, and soil physical and chemical processes. However, these ecosystem changes associated

Aims Although unsenescent leaf litter induced by tropical cyclones represents an increasingly important component of forest litter, characterized by distinct initial quality and decomposition environments compared to naturally senescent litter, the degradation of lignin and cellulose in unsenecent litter and the underlying mechanism remain unknown. Methods To evaluate the effect of litter sources and

Background and aim Litter decomposition, a key process regulating subtropical forest ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling, is highly susceptible to increasing atmospheric N deposition and is facilitated and regulated by micro-food webs. However, responses of micro-food webs in leaf litter habitats to N deposition remain unclear, especially at humus-near stage of decomposition. Methods In this study