The wild barley, Hordeum brevisubulatum (Trin.) Link, is a high-quality forage grass and exhibits enhanced stress resistance when infected by endophytes. For this symbiotic system, a systematic assessment was conducted to examine the relationships among growth traits, nutritional quality, and salt tolerance across different samples, with the final aim to identify superior germplasm resources. Ecotypes collected from different regions were studied. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate agronomic traits and nutritional quality. Concurrently, greenhouse experiment subjected the ecotypes under salt stress treatment to monitor their growth. Comprehensive evaluation and correlation analysis were employed to identify superior ecotypes. Significant variations in agronomic traits, forage quality and salt tolerance were detected between different ecotypes. Crown breadth, acid detergent fiber, and relative cell membrane permeability had the significant direct path coefficient on relative feeding value. Significant negative correlations between quality and agronomic traits and between quality and salt tolerance were found, whereas significant positive correlation between agronomic traits and salt tolerance was detected. Our efforts identified three ecotypes with good agronomic traits and salt tolerance that may be used for developing new varieties for ecological restoration and forage.
Grazing enclosure duration and nitrogen (N) addition both regulate soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions, yet their effects across restoration stages remain poorly understood. We conducted a 12-year N addition experiment on the Chinese Loess Plateau at three sites with initial enclosure durations of approximately 10, 20, and 30 years in 2013, corresponding to approximately 21, 31, and 41 years at sampling in 2024. We measured aboveground biomass, Shannon diversity, soil pH and inorganic N availability, and SOC fractions in the 0–20 cm soil layer. Aboveground biomass was highest at the mid-term (20 years) enclosure site, whereas plant diversity was highest at the short-term (10 years) enclosure site. At the latter site, N addition increased aboveground biomass but reduced plant diversity. SOC responses to N addition differed among grasslands with different enclosure durations. N addition decreased particulate organic carbon (POC; 0.4
Exotic plant invasions involve interactions with local plants. However, how the invasive plant Ageratina adenophora selectively enriches above- and belowground microbes from local plants, alters its own metabolites, and thereby regulates its growth remains unclear. Microbial and metabolite analyses were conducted on A. adenophora seedlings showing growth promotion or inhibition after receiving leaf or soil inoculants. Leaf inoculation induced glutathione metabolism, isoflavonoid biosynthesis and carbon metabolism, while soil inoculation triggered cutin, suberin and wax biosynthesis, and linoleic and arachidonic acid metabolism. Key differential microbes included Paenibacillus, which were highly enriched in both growth-promoted and growth-inhibited seedlings. Bacillus was mostly associated with growth promotion in most cases, except that it was negatively correlated in soil-inoculated roots. Growth-inhibited seedlings featured defense-related pathways such as cysteine and methionine metabolism, while growth-promoted seedlings showed growth-related pathways like tryptophan and arginine biosynthesis. In inhibited seedlings, microbes correlated positively with defense-related lipid metabolites. In promoted seedlings, defense metabolites including coumarins and flavonoids correlated negatively with microbes. Collectively, invader A. adenophora selectively enriched native microbes that regulate host resource allocation, thereby driving differential growth responses. Our findings provide important insights into exotic plant–microbe interactions by facilitating or hindering invasions.
The processes that structure plant communities are understood better in forests than in herbaceous systems. Here, we test the hypothesis that mycorrhizal responsive herbaceous plant species experience favourable plant-soil feedbacks compared to less mycorrhizal responsive species. We extracted plant-soil feedback information for herbaceous species from a recent meta-analysis and collated this information with three sources of mycorrhizal responsiveness data. Our results support our hypothesis that mycorrhizal responsive plants, notwithstanding if they experience positive or negative mycorrhizal responses, receive more positive plant-soil feedbacks, and were robust to most of the sensitivity tests we carried out. We uncover an underappreciated mechanism that could confer spatiotemporal stability across herbaceous plant communities. Mycorrhizal responsive plant species may receive less negative plant-soil feedback but most likely experience higher interspecific competition. These effects could promote a balance of mycorrhizal responsive and less-mycorrhizal responsive species within herbaceous systems.
This study aimed to evaluate the combined effects of lime, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) on wheat yield, nutrient use efficiency, and grain zinc (Zn) concentration under acidic soil conditions. A field experiment was conducted using a split-plot factorial design, with two lime levels as main plots and five N rates interacted with four P rates as sub-plots. Soil chemical properties, wheat yield, nutrient uptake and recovery efficiency, and grain Zn concentration were measured over two growing seasons. Lime improved soil chemical properties associated with acidity and enhanced N and P uptake and recovery efficiency. N was identified as the dominant yield-limiting nutrient, while increasing P application revealed a trade-off between wheat yield and grain Zn concentration, independent of lime and N management. Wheat yields showed diminishing returns to N and P applications, with maximum yields of 4.8 t ha⁻1 in the first year (150 kg N ha⁻1, 40 kg P ha⁻1) and 5.6 t ha⁻1 in the second year (100 kg N ha⁻1, 20–40 kg P ha⁻1). Median yield gains were greatest for N (3.5 t ha⁻1), followed by P (2.0 t ha⁻1) and lime (1.1 t ha⁻1). Grain Zn concentration rarely exceeded 35 mg kg⁻1. Lime increased grain Zn concentration, while excessive N and incremental increases in P rates reduced grain Zn. Integrating lime with balanced fertilization strategies supports sustainable intensification of Ethiopian wheat production. However, cautious P management and complementary Zn supplementation are needed to balance high productivity with grain nutritional quality.
Dark Septate Endophytes (DSE) and Epichloë endophytes are widespread symbionts that modulate host fitness and responses to environmental conditions. While their individual roles are documented, their combined influence on phosphorus (P) partitioning remains unclear. This study evaluated how dual colonization by Epichloë and a DSE strain modulates internal P allocation in the forage grass Bromus auleticus under varying P supply. Twenty-nine DSE strains from B. auleticus roots were screened for P-solubilization in both solid and liquid NBRIP media. The most efficient strain, identified as Thelonectria blackeriella, was selected for a greenhouse factorial experiment involving Epichloë (E + /E-), DSE inoculation (DSE + /DSE-), and two P-supply levels (non-supplemented vs. supplemented). Following harvest, P concentrations were measured in tissues, and a Phosphorus Translocation Factor (PTF), calculated as the shoot-to-root P concentration ratio, was used to assess the patterns of internal P partitioning. T. blackeriella effectively solubilized inorganic P in vitro. Under greenhouse conditions, shoot P concentration was strongly modulated by the DSE colonization. Without P supplementation, Epichloë endophytes increased the PTF, prioritizing allocation to aerial tissues. Conversely, under P supplementation, dual-symbiotic plants (E + DSE +) exhibited significantly higher root P concentrations, suggesting enhanced root P retention. The symbionts exhibited functional complementarity: Epichloë endophytes promote aerial P allocation under low supply, while DSE facilitates root P accumulation under higher supply. This dual-symbiosis response influences the host’s internal P partitioning, potentially enhancing nutritional resilience and post-grazing recovery in forage systems.
Salinity is a serious constraint on agricultural output worldwide, impacting millions of hectares and inflicting large economic losses each year. Conventional reclamation efforts are typically unsustainable, emphasizing the urgency of novel alternatives to ensure food security. The present review focuses on the multifaceted mechanisms underlying nanobiochar (nano-BC)-mediated salinity tolerance in plants, with emphasis on physiological, biochemical, molecular, and rhizosphere microbiome responses. It further evaluates the potential of nano-BC for sustainable management of salt-affected soils and highlights key knowledge gaps and future research priorities. Nano-BC employs multifaceted mechanisms to mitigate salinity-induced damage, including modulation of physiological and molecular responses, maintenance of ionic homeostasis, and improvement of soil properties and rhizosphere microbiome dynamics. Collectively, these effects help preserve cellular turgor, maintain metabolic stability, and alleviate salinity-induced stress. Here, we highlight the influence of feedstock type and pyrolysis conditions on the production, physicochemical properties, and functional performance of nano-BC. We also provide comparative insights into the effectiveness of nano-BC versus conventional soil amendments. Finally, emerging research directions are discussed, with emphasis on the need to elucidate the complex nano-BC–salinity interactions and optimize its application, thereby providing a roadmap for sustainable agriculture in saline environments.
Tree size drives changes in leaf functional traits and phyllosphere microbial communities. However, it remains unknown how these changes influence litter chemical properties and associated microbial communities, and subsequently modulate litter decomposition. We conducted a field decomposition experiment in a temperate forest using leaf litters collected from four dominant tree species in two size classes (classified by diameter at breast height). We measured initial litter chemical properties and determined both bacterial and fungal communities in litters using high-throughput sequencing. After 6 months of decomposition, litter mass loss (
This study aimed to evaluate the eff ects of irrigation water salinity (0–4‰) on soil chemical properties, plant physiological responses, and rice yield of Oryza sativa L. cv. Dai Thom 8 under controlled greenhouse conditions, and to identify the salinity threshold associated with significant yield reduction. Rice plants were grown under controlled greenhouse conditions and irrigated with water of different salinity levels ranging from 0 to 4‰. Soil electrical conductivity (EC) and total nitrogen (TN) were monitored to assess changes in soil chemical conditions. Plant physiological responses were evaluated based on chlorophyll content and gas-exchange parameters, while grain yield was determined at harvest. Relationships among soil properties, physiological traits, and rice yield were further examined across the salinity gradient. Increasing irrigation water salinity progressively increased soil EC and decreased TN, indicating deterioration of soil chemical conditions. Salinity stress also reduced chlorophyll content and gas-exchange parameters, reflecting impaired plant physiological performance. Rice yield showed a pronounced nonlinear response to increasing salinity, with a marked transition at approximately 1.4‰, corresponding to an approximately 50
Rice is a staple crop for over half the global population, but rice cultivation is also a significant source of methane (CH4) emissions, placing it at the heart of the climate–food security challenge. While silicon (Si) fertilization has long been valued for its agronomic benefits in rice cultivation, its role in modulating soil microbial processes to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions remains underexplored and underutilized in climate policy. This opinion article aims to highlight the silicate–microbiome interface as a pivotal yet overlooked leverage point for achieving sustainable rice intensification and effective climate mitigation. We critically examine how disciplinary constraints, entrenched soil fertility paradigms, and a policy preference for high-tech solutions have hindered the integration of Si–microbe interactions into mainstream climate-smart agriculture strategies. Synthesizing recent advances in rhizosphere microbiology and soil biogeochemistry, we introduce a novel conceptual framework—Silicon-Mediated Microbial Climate Regulation (SiMCR)—to elucidate the mechanistic links between Si application, microbial community dynamics, and reduced CH4 emissions. The scope encompasses recommendations for multidisciplinary research agendas, regulatory updates to recognize quality-screened Si fertilizers as climate-smart soil amendments, and their inclusion in national climate action plans (e.g., Nationally Determined Contributions) and sustainable intensification metrics. Embracing Si-mediated microbial regulation offers a scalable, nature-based strategy to decouple rice production from environmental harm. We argue that without deliberately incorporating Si–microbe interactions into both research and policy frameworks, the goal of truly climate-smart rice systems will remain unattainable. Urgent action is needed to unlock this neglected nexus for global food and climate security.
Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress limiting tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) productivity worldwide through osmotic stress, ionic toxicity, and oxidative damage. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) have emerged as a sustainable strategy to enhance crop tolerance to salinity, although reported effects vary among studies. This global meta-analysis aimed to quantitatively synthesize evidence on the effects of PGPB inoculation on tomato performance under salt stress. Following PRISMA guidelines, data were compiled from 49 peer reviewed studies published between 2004 and 2025 across 19 countries, yielding 1,089 observations from 110 experiments. Effect sizes were calculated using log response ratios and analysed using three level random effects models with cluster robust variance to evaluate PGPB effects under saline conditions. Overall, PGPB inoculation significantly improved tomato growth, physiology, antioxidant defence, and ionic homeostasis under salinity. Biomass traits increased consistently, along with leaf area and photosynthetic pigments. Antioxidant activity increased while malondialdehyde content and electrolyte leakage declined. PGPB inoculation also reduced Na⁺ accumulation and enhanced K⁺, N, P, Ca, and Mg availability. Both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria were effective, with no significant difference between them, and Bacillus and Pseudomonas showed the most robust growth promotion. This meta-analysis provides quantitative evidence that PGPB inoculation is an effective and environmentally sustainable approach for improving tomato salt stress tolerance, supporting its potential use in climate-resilient production systems in salt-affected regions.
Plateau zokors create newly formed mounds that introduce freshly disturbed microsites in alpine meadows, but it remains unclear whether soil, vegetation, and plant community contrasts between mounds and adjacent grassland follow similar patterns across site contexts or vary in size and pattern among sites. Newly formed mounds were marked in 2021 and sampled in 2023, the third growing season after marking, in three alpine meadow sites representing light, moderate, and heavy degradation. Soil properties, plant diversity, vegetation characteristics, biomass, and community composition were compared between mounds and adjacent grassland using mixed-effects models and ordination analyses. Plant community composition was assessed using ordination and PERMANOVA, and indicator species analysis was used to identify species associated with each microhabitat. Mounds differed from adjacent grassland in soil properties, vegetation structure, biomass, and community composition, but the size and pattern of these contrasts varied among sites. Adjacent grassland generally had higher species richness, plant cover, and biomass than mounds, whereas several soil and diversity variables showed site-specific mound–grassland patterns. Community composition differed significantly overall and within sites. Indicator species analysis showed that mound-associated species were fewer and more site-specific than those of adjacent grassland. Newly formed plateau zokor mounds remained distinct from adjacent grassland during the third growing season after marking, but the size and pattern of these contrasts varied among sites. These mounds are best interpreted as context-dependent early-stage microsites rather than as uniformly beneficial or detrimental features for vegetation recovery.
Soybean (Glycine max) is an important oil crop, but its growth and yield are severely threatened by abiotic stress, such as drought and salinity. DR1372 gene is involved in extreme stress tolerance of a kind of bacteria named Deinococcus radiodurans. However, the function of DR1372 in response to abiotic stresses in soybean has rarely been reported. DR1372 gene was cloned from D. radiodurans and was overexpressed in soybean. The role of DR1372 was investigated through physiological and biochemical experiments combined with transcriptome analysis. Overexpressed DR1372 soybean plants showed enhanced salt and drought tolerance. Under salt stress, transgenic lines exhibited significantly enhanced antioxidant capacity compared to wild-type (WT), with superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities increased by approximately 51.8
Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for global food production, and its depletion poses a major threat to agricultural sustainability. Concurrently, improper disposal of end-of-life tyres causes serious environmental risks. Converting waste tyres into functional biochar for P recovery offers a promising route to addressing both challenges by closing nutrient loops and valorising a problematic waste stream. This study investigated the potential of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-modified tyre-derived biochar (MTB) to enhance P adsorption from simulated P-rich wastewater and to enable its subsequent reuse as a slow-release fertiliser. Untreated tyre biochar (PTB) was produced by pyrolysis and then oxidised with 10
Forests in the karst regions of Southwest China are strongly constrained by limited subsurface water storage capacity resulting from shallow soils and well-developed bedrock fractures formed during bedrock weathering. However, distinguishing the relative influences of soil and bedrock fractures on plant water-use strategies remains challenging. We investigated water-use-related functional traits of native broad-leaved woody plants in a karst region of Southwest China, and identified plant water-use strategies across gradients of soil thickness and bedrock fracture development, which were presumably linked with bedrock Ca and Mg concentrations. Soil thickness, soil porosity, and thickness of the fractured bedrock layer were used as indicators of subsurface water-holding capacity. Bedrock differences, mediated by soil thickness and thickness of the fractured bedrock layer, explained 10.4
Accumulation of silicon (Si) is known to confer resistance in plants against abiotic and biotic stresses; however, questions remain about the underlying mechanisms of Si-mediated resistance against insect herbivores. We investigated the Si-mediated resistance mechanisms in rice against fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, using the OsLsi1 mutant rice (cv. Nipponbare) lines deficient in Si uptake from the soil. We investigated these questions using a multidisciplinary approach, combining bioassays of insect and plant growth and biochemical quantification of defense metabolites, phytohormones, and volatiles. Further, we studied constitutive and herbivory-induced gene expression in OsLsi1 rice mutants relative to the wild type (WT). Moreover, we detected high-impact SNPs/InDels associated with plant–insect interactions, and integrated these variants with expression signatures across mutants and WT. Si played a key role in mediating constitutive resistance to FAW, but Si content did not substantially alter induced responses. High Si content promoted compensatory growth post-herbivory and had no effect on constitutive or induced activities of peroxidases, polyphenol oxidases, trypsin inhibitors, and jasmonic acid. Low Si plants constitutively emitted higher levels of certain terpene volatiles. Comparative transcriptomics across mutants and WT showed that Si modulates gene expression under both constitutive and post-herbivory. Plants with high Si levels appear well defended but also capable of allocating resources to re-growth than low Si plants. Genes including OsbHLH024, OsLsi1, OsMSH3, OsARC5, OsCKX2, and OsBBX3 are candidates for engineering rice varieties with enhanced herbivory resistance. These results suggest that Si-deficient rice lines are genetically and transcriptionally less equipped to resistance.
This paper will consider the major trends in plant silicon (Si) and phytolith (plant silica body) research between 1980 and 2026. I will intersperse my own personal research history within this story. There are two sub-fields in this research area: plant Si research; and phytolith research. I will mainly look at plant Si research but will highlight a few of the major advances in phytolith research and investigate the overlap between the two sub-fields. The first book to be published on the topic was by Piperno in 1988, and there are now 19. The first international conference in the area was the 1st International Meeting on Phytolith Research (IMPR), held in Madrid, Spain in 1996. Three years later, the 1st International Conference on Silicon in Agriculture (ICSA) was held in Florida, USA. The number of publications in the area has markedly increased, and there are now (February 2026) 19 that were published between 1980 and 2026 that have over 1,000 citations. In the last 15 years we have seen many special issues of journals focussing on plant silicon (Si) and phytolith research. I located 36 people who have been researching in the area for 30 years or more, but there are many others that have made highly significant contributions. Identifying the researchers who will be likely to make a major impact in the future is a difficult task, but I highlighted the work of the various prize-winners at the IMPR in Barcelona and the ICSA in Belgrade, both held in 2025. Finally, I suggested topics for future research.
Soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation is crucial for ecosystem restoration and climate mitigation in tropical and subtropical red soils, yet the mechanisms linking vegetation restoration to iron (Fe)-associated carbon pools and microbial functional genes remain unclear. This study explored the interactions between soil minerals and microbial communities that drive soil organic carbon accumulation during subtropical vegetation restoration in China. We integrated sequential selective dissolution, extracellular enzyme activity measurements, and metagenomic analyses to assess Fe-associated carbon pools and microbial functional potential. The results showed that vegetation restoration promoted mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) accumulation and enhanced its stabilization potential by reorganizing mineral-associated carbon pools, with organo-metal complexes (OMC) accounting for 62
Co-invasion can accelerate the loss of native plant biodiversity and impose more severe impacts on ecosystems. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are known to regulate competitive relationships among plants, yet their role in mediating competition between co-occurring invaders across different proportional abundances remains largely unexplored. We conducted a field survey to assess mycorrhizal colonization in naturally co-occurring populations of two invasive plants, Bidens pilosa and Sphagneticola trilobata. Additionally, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to examine how AMF affects the growth and competition of these two invaders. We found that the mycorrhizal colonization rate was significantly higher in co-occurring communities than in monospecific sites. The greenhouse experiment showed that AMF-induced growth promotion decreased with increasing proportion of the invader. AMF effectively alleviated inter-specific competition between the co-invaders, although this effect weakened as the competition intensified. However, AMF exacerbated intra-specific competition in both species under monoculture conditions. This study reveals the complex, density-dependent role of AMF in modulating both inter- and intra-specific competition between co-occurring invaders. Our findings highlight that AMF can shift the competitive balance depending on plant proportional abundance.
Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit. is a widely used medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine, but continuous cropping obstacles hinder its sustainable development. This pot study compared first cropping (FC) and one-year continuous cropping (CC1) of P. ternata, examining soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and rhizosphere microbial communities at maturity stage to identify key factors underlying these obstacles. CC1 significantly reduced available potassium (AK,-18.03
