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Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 47789

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marouane Baslam

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
Interests: plant–microorganism interactions, -omics; climate change; yield; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants, due to their sessile nature, are constantly exposed to a myriad of microorganisms. Plant–microbe encounters can be friendly—beneficial—or hostile—harmful—depending on the interaction’s nature. Direct cooperative (symbiotic) plant–microbe relationships are dominant in many ecosystems. Synergistic interactions could determine crop health in the natural agroecosystem by providing numerous services to plants. By contrast, plants are also constantly exposed to fungal, bacterial, and/or viral pathogens, causing substantial economic losses, thereby leading to critical global food security pressure. As a result, in both relationships, a complex network of interactions has evolved within the plant–microbes—and unique defense mechanisms to fight infections—mediated by a multitude of chemicals signals derived from both plants and microbes. Therefore, deciphering the molecular work to reveal the principles/fundamental processes that orchestrate the plant–microbe interactions is of great interest. Additionally, new research dealing with genome editing technologies research, including newly emerged CRISPR/Cas systems, will be welcomed in the study of plant–microbe interactions.

Additionally, plant–microbe interactions are profoundly affected by external environmental conditions. Understanding this “triangle” and how environmental conditions modulate plant–microbe interactions is crucial to predict the performance of plant–microbe interactions, engineering effective biofertilizers and/or biocontrol agents, and design “dream” crop plants with increased resilience or synthetic microbe communities for reproducible beneficial outputs to address today’s challenges in the realm of human population growth, globalization, and current and future climate change.

This Special Issue will bring together an exciting body of recent research, reviews, methods, and opinion pieces addressing the latest knowledge, relationships, and significance of plant–microorganism interactions in the ecosystem and in the development of human society, and how they might contribute toward the global goals of food security, sustainability, and wellbeing. We welcome suggestions from the community by 30 June 2022 for potential articles covering all advances and new perspectives of plant–microbe interaction research in the context of global change.

In particular, we welcome articles within (but not limited to) the following broad themes:

Agriculture, horticulture, and forestry
Molecular plant sciences
Climate change
Microbiology

Dr. Marouane Baslam
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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–microbe interaction (beneficial microbes/phytopathogens)
Plant molecular biology
Crop improvement
Sustainable agriculture
Climate change/environmental challenge
Functional (plant/microbial) genomics
Genetic tools
Nutrients
Biofertilizers
Signaling networks

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

4 pages, 199 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions

by Marouane Baslam

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5143; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24065143 - 07 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1237

Abstract

Plants, due to their sessile nature, are constantly exposed to a myriad of microorganisms [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

23 pages, 2227 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Metagenomic and Gene Expression Analysis in Wheat (T. durum) and Maize (Z. mays) Biofertilized with PGPM and Biochar

by Sara Graziano, Marina Caldara, Mariolina Gullì, Annamaria Bevivino, Elena Maestri and Nelson Marmiroli

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(18), 10376; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms231810376 - 08 Sep 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2084

Abstract

Commodity crops, such as wheat and maize, are extremely dependent on chemical fertilizers, a practice contributing greatly to the increase in the contaminants in soil and water. Promising solutions are biofertilizers, i.e., microbial biostimulants that when supplemented with soil stimulate plant growth and production. Moreover, the biofertilizers can be fortified when (i) provided as multifunctional consortia and (ii) combined with biochar with a high cargo capacity. The aim of this work was to determine the molecular effects on the soil microbiome of different biofertilizers and delivery systems, highlight their physiological effects and merge the data with statistical analyses. The measurements of the physiological parameters (i.e., shoot and root biomass), transcriptomic response of genes involved in essential pathways, and characterization of the rhizosphere population were analyzed. The results demonstrated that wheat and maize supplemented with different combinations of selected microbial consortia and biochar have a positive effect on plant growth in terms of shoot and root biomass; the treatments also had a beneficial influence on the biodiversity of the indigenous rhizo-microbial community, reinforcing the connection between microbes and plants without further spreading contaminants. There was also evidence at the transcriptional level of crosstalk between microbiota and plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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22 pages, 9162 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Leaf Bacteriome in Sugar Beet Shows Differential Response against Beet curly top virus during Resistant and Susceptible Interactions

by Rajtilak Majumdar, Carl A. Strausbaugh, Eric D. Vincill, Imad Eujayl and Paul J. Galewski

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(15), 8073; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23158073 - 22 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1894

Abstract

Beet curly top virus (BCTV) significantly reduces sugar beet yield in semi-arid production areas. Genetic resistance to BCTV is limited; therefore, identification of additional resistance-associated factors is highly desired. Using 16S rRNA sequencing and BCTV resistant (R) genotypes (KDH13, KDH4-9) along with a susceptible (S) genotype (KDH19-17), we investigated leaf bacteriome changes during BCTV post inoculation (pi). At day 6 (~6-week-old plants), Cyanobacteria were predominant (~90%); whereas, at week 4 (~10-week-old plants) Firmicutes (11–66%), Bacteroidetes (17–26%), and Verrucomicrobia (12–29%) were predominant phyla and genotype dependent. Both Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia, increased post infection only in the R lines. The bacterial genera Brevibacillus increased at 6 dpi, and Akkermansia and Bacteroides at 4 wkpi in the R lines. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) identified potential biomarkers in the R vs. S lines. Functional profiling revealed bacterial enrichment associated with the TCA cycle, polyisoprenoid, and L-methionine biosynthesis pathways only in KDH4-9 at 6 dpi. At 4 wkpi, bacteria associated with tryptophan and palmitate biosynthesis in the R lines, and uridine monophosphate, phosphatidyl glycerol, and phospholipid biosynthesis in the S line, were enriched. Future characterization of bacterial genera with antiviral properties will help establish their use as biocontrol agents/biomarkers against BCTV. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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18 pages, 2142 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Trichoderma asperellum on Wheat Plants’ Biochemical and Molecular Responses, and Yield under Different Water Stress Conditions

by María Illescas, María E. Morán-Diez, Ángel Emilio Martínez de Alba, Rosa Hermosa and Enrique Monte

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(12), 6782; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23126782 - 17 Jun 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2314

Abstract

Eight Trichoderma strains were evaluated for their potential to protect wheat seedlings against severe (no irrigation within two weeks) water stress (WS). Considering the plant fresh weight and phenotype, T. asperellum T140, which displays 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase activity and which is able to produce several phytohormones, was selected. The molecular and biochemical results obtained from 4-week-old wheat seedlings linked T140 application with a downregulation in the WS-response genes, a decrease in antioxidant activities, and a drop in the proline content, as well as low levels of hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde in response to severe WS. All of these responses are indicative of T140-primed seedlings having a higher tolerance to drought than those that are left untreated. A greenhouse assay performed under high nitrogen fertilization served to explore the long-term effects of T140 on wheat plants subjected to moderate (halved irrigation) WS. Even though all of the plants showed acclimation to moderate WS regardless of T140 application, there was a positive effect exerted by T. asperellum on the level of tolerance of the wheat plants to this stress. Strain T140 modulated the expression of a plant ABA-dependent WS marker and produced increased plant superoxide dismutase activity, which would explain the positive effect of Trichoderma on increasing crop yields under moderate WS conditions. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of T. asperellum T140 as a biostimulant for wheat plants under WS conditions, making them more tolerant to drought. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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14 pages, 2304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanistic Insights into Stereospecific Antifungal Activity of Chiral Fungicide Prothioconazole against Fusarium oxysporum F. sp. cubense

by Xiaofang Yang, Ronggao Gong, Yuanqi Chu, Siwen Liu, Dandan Xiang and Chunyu Li

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(4), 2352; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23042352 - 21 Feb 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2140

Abstract

As a typical triazole fungicide, prothioconazole (Pro) has been used extensively due to its broad spectrum and high efficiency. However, as a racemic mixture of two enantiomers (R-Pro and S-Pro), the enantiomer-specific outcomes on the bioactivity have not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigate how chirality affects the activity and mechanism of action of Pro enantiomers on Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4), the notorious virulent strain causing Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB). The Pro enantiomers were evaluated in vivo and in vitro with the aid of three bioassay methods for their fungicidal activities against TR4 and the results suggested that the fungicidal activities of Pro enantiomers are stereoselective in a dose-dependent manner with R-Pro making a major contribution to the treatment outcomes. We found that R-Pro led to more severe morphological changes and impairment in membrane integrity than S-Pro. R-Pro also led to the increase of more MDA contents and the reduction of more SOD and CAT activities compared with the control and S-Pro groups. Furthermore, the expression of Cytochrome P450 14α-sterol demethylases (CYP51), the target for triazole fungicides, was significantly increased upon treatment with R-Pro rather than S-Pro, at both transcriptional and translational levels; so were the activities of the Cytochrome P450 enzymes. In addition, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and molecular docking illuminated the stereoselective interactions between the Pro enantiomers and CYP51 of TR4 at the target site, and R-Pro showed a better binding affinity with CYP51 than S-Pro. These results suggested an enantioselective mechanism of Pro against TR4, which may rely on the enantioselective damages to the fungal cell membrane and the enantiospecific CYP51 binding affinity. Taken together, our study shed some light on the mechanisms underlying the differential activities of the Pro enantiomers against TR4 and demonstrated that Pro can be used as a potential candidate in the treatment of FWB. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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25 pages, 10310 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cell-Wall-Degrading Enzymes-Related Genes Originating from Rhizoctonia solani Increase Sugar Beet Root Damage in the Presence of Leuconostoc mesenteroides

by Rajtilak Majumdar, Carl A. Strausbaugh, Paul J. Galewski, Rakesh Minocha and Christopher W. Rogers

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(3), 1366; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23031366 - 25 Jan 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2963

Abstract

Sugar beet crown and root rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani is a major yield constraint. Root rot is highly increased when R. solani and Leuconostoc mesenteroides co-infect roots. We hypothesized that the absence of plant cell-wall-degrading enzymes in L. mesenteroides and their supply by R. solani during close contact, causes increased damage. In planta root inoculation with or without cell-wall-degrading enzymes showed greater rot when L. mesenteroides was combined with cellulase (22 mm rot), polygalacturonase (47 mm), and pectin lyase (57 mm) versus these enzymes (0–26 mm), R. solani (20 mm), and L. mesenteroides (13 mm) individually. Carbohydrate analysis revealed increased simpler carbohydrates (namely glucose + galactose, and fructose) in the infected roots versus mock control, possibly due to the degradation of complex cell wall carbohydrates. Expression of R. solani cellulase, polygalacturonase, and pectin lyase genes during root infection corroborated well with the enzyme data. Global mRNAseq analysis identified candidate genes and highly co-expressed gene modules in all three organisms that might be critical in host plant defense and pathogenesis. Targeting R. solani cell-wall-degrading enzymes in the future could be an effective strategy to mitigate root damage during its interaction with L. mesenteroides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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28 pages, 2258 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Genome of the Heavy Metal Resistant and Hydrocarbon-Degrading Rhizospheric Pseudomonas qingdaonensis ZCR6 Strain and Assessment of Its Plant-Growth-Promoting Traits

by Daria Chlebek, Tomasz Płociniczak, Sara Gobetti, Agata Kumor, Katarzyna Hupert-Kocurek and Magdalena Pacwa-Płociniczak

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(1), 214; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23010214 - 25 Dec 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4170

Abstract

The Pseudomonas qingdaonensis ZCR6 strain, isolated from the rhizosphere of Zea mays growing in soil co-contaminated with hydrocarbons and heavy metals, was investigated for its plant growth promotion, hydrocarbon degradation, and heavy metal resistance. In vitro bioassays confirmed all of the abovementioned properties. ZCR6 was able to produce indole acetic acid (IAA), siderophores, and ammonia, solubilized Ca₃(PO₄)₂, and showed surface active properties and activity of cellulase and very high activity of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase (297 nmol α-ketobutyrate mg⁻¹ h⁻¹). The strain degraded petroleum hydrocarbons (76.52% of the initial hydrocarbon content was degraded) and was resistant to Cd, Zn, and Cu (minimal inhibitory concentrations reached 5, 15, and 10 mM metal, respectively). The genome of the ZCR6 strain consisted of 5,507,067 bp, and a total of 5055 genes were annotated, of which 4943 were protein-coding sequences. Annotation revealed the presence of genes associated with nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, sulfur metabolism, siderophore biosynthesis and uptake, synthesis of IAA, ethylene modulation, heavy metal resistance, exopolysaccharide biosynthesis, and organic compound degradation. Complete characteristics of the ZCR6 strain showed its potential multiway properties for enhancing the phytoremediation of co-contaminated soils. To our knowledge, this is the first analysis of the biotechnological potential of the species P. qingdaonensis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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23 pages, 4684 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms by which Seed-Borne Endophytic Fungi, Epichloë gansuensis, Increases the Tolerance of Achnatherum inebrians to NaCl Stress

by Chen Cheng, Jianfeng Wang, Wenpeng Hou, Kamran Malik, Chengzhou Zhao, Xueli Niu, Yinglong Liu, Rong Huang, Chunjie Li and Zhibiao Nan

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(24), 13191; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222413191 - 07 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2606

Abstract

Seed-borne endophyte Epichloë gansuensis enhance NaCl tolerance in Achnatherum inebrians and increase its biomass. However, the molecular mechanism by which E. gansuensis increases the tolerance of host grasses to NaCl stress is unclear. Hence, we firstly explored the full-length transcriptome information of A. inebrians by PacBio RS II. In this work, we obtained 738,588 full-length non-chimeric reads, 36,105 transcript sequences and 27,202 complete CDSs from A. inebrians. We identified 3558 transcription factors (TFs), 15,945 simple sequence repeats and 963 long non-coding RNAs of A. inebrians. The present results show that 2464 and 1817 genes were differentially expressed by E. gansuensis in the leaves of E+ and E− plants at 0 mM and 200 mM NaCl concentrations, respectively. In addition, NaCl stress significantly regulated 4919 DEGs and 502 DEGs in the leaves of E+ and E− plants, respectively. Transcripts associated with photosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, amino acids metabolism, flavonoid biosynthetic process and WRKY TFs were differentially expressed by E. gansuensis; importantly, E. gansuensis up-regulated biology processes (brassinosteroid biosynthesis, oxidation–reduction, cellular calcium ion homeostasis, carotene biosynthesis, positive regulation of proteasomal ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolism and proanthocyanidin biosynthesis) of host grass under NaCl stress, which indicated an increase in the ability of host grasses’ adaptation to NaCl stress. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the molecular mechanism for E. gansuensis to increase the tolerance to salt stress in the host, which provides a theoretical basis for the molecular breed to create salt-tolerant forage with endophytes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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19 pages, 3403 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Metabolomics Analyses Reveal Metabolites Affected by Plant Growth-Promoting Endophytic Bacteria in Roots of the Halophyte Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

by Ryota Kataoka, Mami Akashi, Takeshi Taniguchi, Yoshiyuki Kinose, Ahmet Emre Yaprak and Oguz Can Turgay

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21), 11813; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222111813 - 30 Oct 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2770

Abstract

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. (common ice plant) is an edible halophyte. However, if ice plants are used to phytoremediate salinity soil, there are problems of slow initial growth, and a long period before active NaCl uptake occurs under higher salinity conditions. Application of endophytic bacteria may improve the problem, but there remain gaps in our understanding of how endophytic bacteria affect the growth and the biochemical and physiological characteristics of ice plants. The aims of this study were to identify growth-promoting endophytic bacteria from the roots of ice plants and to document the metabolomic response of ice plants after application of selected endophytic bacteria. Two plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria were selected on the basis of their ability to promote ice plant growth. The two strains putatively identified as Microbacterium spp. and Streptomyces spp. significantly promoted ice plant growth, at 2-times and 2.5-times, respectively, compared with the control and also affected the metabolome of ice plants. The strain of Microbacterium spp. resulted in increased contents of metabolites related to the tricarboxylic acid cycle and photosynthesis. The effects of salt stress were alleviated in ice plants inoculated with the endobacterial strains, compared with uninoculated plants. A deeper understanding of the complex interplay among plant metabolites will be useful for developing microbe-assisted soil phytoremediation strategies, using Mesembryanthemum species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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16 pages, 1516 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Fusarium graminearum FGSG_03624 Xylanase Enhances Plant Immunity and Increases Resistance against Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens

by Silvio Tundo, Maria Chiara Paccanaro, Valentina Bigini, Daniel V. Savatin, Franco Faoro, Francesco Favaron and Luca Sella

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(19), 10811; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms221910811 - 06 Oct 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2155

Abstract

Fungal enzymes degrading the plant cell wall, such as xylanases, can activate plant immune responses. The Fusarium graminearum FGSG_03624 xylanase, previously shown to elicit necrosis and hydrogen peroxide accumulation in wheat, was investigated for its ability to induce disease resistance. To this aim, we transiently and constitutively expressed an enzymatically inactive form of FGSG_03624 in tobacco and Arabidopsis, respectively. The plants were challenged with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci or pv. maculicola and Botrytis cinerea. Symptom reduction by the bacterium was evident, while no reduction was observed after B. cinerea inoculation. Compared to the control, the presence of the xylanase gene in transgenic Arabidopsis plants did not alter the basal expression of a set of defense-related genes, and, after the P. syringae inoculation, a prolonged PR1 expression was detected. F. graminearum inoculation experiments of durum wheat spikes exogenously treated with the FGSG_03624 xylanase highlighted a reduction of symptoms in the early phases of infection and a lower fungal biomass accumulation than in the control. Besides, callose deposition was detected in infected spikes previously treated with the xylanase and not in infected control plants. In conclusion, our results highlight the ability of FGSG_03624 to enhance plant immunity, thus decreasing disease severity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

25 pages, 992 KiB

Open AccessReview

by Nur Wahida Abdul Hamid and Kalaivani Nadarajah

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(16), 8998; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23168998 - 12 Aug 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2443

Abstract

The agriculture sector has been put under tremendous strain by the world’s growing population. The use of fertilizers and pesticides in conventional farming has had a negative impact on the environment and human health. Sustainable agriculture attempts to maintain productivity, while protecting the environment and feeding the global population. The importance of soil-dwelling microbial populations in overcoming these issues cannot be overstated. Various processes such as rhizospheric competence, antibiosis, release of enzymes, and induction of systemic resistance in host plants are all used by microbes to influence plant-microbe interactions. These processes are largely founded on chemical signalling. Producing, releasing, detecting, and responding to chemicals are all part of chemical signalling. Different microbes released distinct sorts of chemical signal molecules which interacts with the environment and hosts. Microbial chemicals affect symbiosis, virulence, competence, conjugation, antibiotic production, motility, sporulation, and biofilm growth, to name a few. We present an in-depth overview of chemical signalling between bacteria-bacteria, bacteria-fungi, and plant-microbe and the diverse roles played by these compounds in plant microbe interactions. These compounds’ current and potential uses and significance in agriculture have been highlighted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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43 pages, 1642 KiB

Open AccessReview

Plants—Microorganisms-Based Bioremediation for Heavy Metal Cleanup: Recent Developments, Phytoremediation Techniques, Regulation Mechanisms, and Molecular Responses

by Anas Raklami, Abdelilah Meddich, Khalid Oufdou and Marouane Baslam

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(9), 5031; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23095031 - 01 May 2022

Cited by 54 | Viewed by 8878

Abstract

Rapid industrialization, mine tailings runoff, and agricultural activities are often detrimental to soil health and can distribute hazardous metal(loid)s into the soil environment, with harmful effects on human and ecosystem health. Plants and their associated microbes can be deployed to clean up and prevent environmental pollution. This green technology has emerged as one of the most attractive and acceptable practices for using natural processes to break down organic contaminants or accumulate and stabilize metal pollutants by acting as filters or traps. This review explores the interactions between plants, their associated microbiomes, and the environment, and discusses how they shape the assembly of plant-associated microbial communities and modulate metal(loid)s remediation. Here, we also overview microbe–heavy-metal(loid)s interactions and discuss microbial bioremediation and plants with advanced phytoremediation properties approaches that have been successfully used, as well as their associated biological processes. We conclude by providing insights into the underlying remediation strategies’ mechanisms, key challenges, and future directions for the remediation of metal(loid)s-polluted agricultural soils with environmentally friendly techniques. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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35 pages, 2810 KiB

Open AccessReview

Plants Saline Environment in Perception with Rhizosphere Bacteria Containing 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylate Deaminase

by Dhanashree Vijayrao Bomle, Asha Kiran, Jeevitha Kodihalli Kumar, Lavanya Senapathyhalli Nagaraj, Chamanahalli Kyathegowda Pradeep, Mohammad Azam Ansari, Saad Alghamdi, Ahmed Kabrah, Hamza Assaggaf, Anas S. Dablool, Mahadevamurthy Murali, Kestur Nagaraj Amruthesh, Arakere Chunchegowda Udayashankar and Siddapura Ramachandrappa Niranjana

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21), 11461; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222111461 - 24 Oct 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3735

Abstract

Soil salinity stress has become a serious roadblock for food production worldwide since it is one of the key factors affecting agricultural productivity. Salinity and drought are predicted to cause considerable loss of crops. To deal with this difficult situation, a variety of strategies have been developed, including plant breeding, plant genetic engineering, and a wide range of agricultural practices, including the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and seed biopriming techniques, to improve the plants’ defenses against salinity stress, resulting in higher crop yields to meet future human food demand. In the present review, we updated and discussed the negative effects of salinity stress on plant morphological parameters and physio-biochemical attributes via various mechanisms and the beneficial roles of PGPR with 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylate(ACC) deaminase activity as green bio-inoculants in reducing the impact of saline conditions. Furthermore, the applications of ACC deaminase-producing PGPR as a beneficial tool in seed biopriming techniques are updated and explored. This strategy shows promise in boosting quick seed germination, seedling vigor and plant growth uniformity. In addition, the contentious findings of the variation of antioxidants and osmolytes in ACC deaminase-producing PGPR treated plants are examined. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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35 pages, 1308 KiB

Open AccessReview

Plant–Microbe Interaction: Aboveground to Belowground, from the Good to the Bad

by Kalaivani Nadarajah and Nur Sabrina Natasha Abdul Rahman

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(19), 10388; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms221910388 - 27 Sep 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 6906

Abstract

Soil health and fertility issues are constantly addressed in the agricultural industry. Through the continuous and prolonged use of chemical heavy agricultural systems, most agricultural lands have been impacted, resulting in plateaued or reduced productivity. As such, to invigorate the agricultural industry, we would have to resort to alternative practices that will restore soil health and fertility. Therefore, in recent decades, studies have been directed towards taking a Magellan voyage of the soil rhizosphere region, to identify the diversity, density, and microbial population structure of the soil, and predict possible ways to restore soil health. Microbes that inhabit this region possess niche functions, such as the stimulation or promotion of plant growth, disease suppression, management of toxicity, and the cycling and utilization of nutrients. Therefore, studies should be conducted to identify microbes or groups of organisms that have assigned niche functions. Based on the above, this article reviews the aboveground and below-ground microbiomes, their roles in plant immunity, physiological functions, and challenges and tools available in studying these organisms. The information collected over the years may contribute toward future applications, and in designing sustainable agriculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and New Perspectives in Plant-Microbe Interactions)

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