Effectiveness of bio-effectors on maize, wheat and tomato performance and phosphorus acquisition from greenhouse to field scales in Europe and Israel: a meta-analysis.

Biostimulants (Bio-effectors, BEs) comprise plant growth-promoting microorganisms and active natural substances that promote plant nutrient-acquisition, stress resilience, growth, crop quality and yield. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of BEs, particularly under field conditions, appears highly variable and poorly quantified. Using random model meta-analyses tools, we summarize the effects of 107 BE treatments on the performance of major crops, mainly conducted within the EU-funded project BIOFECTOR with a focus on phosphorus (P) nutrition, over five years.

Limited effectiveness of selected bioeffectors combined with recycling phosphorus fertilizers for maize cultivation under Swiss farming conditions.

The use of plant biostimulants, also known as bioeffectors (BEs), has attracted increasing attention as an environmentally friendly strategy for more sustainable crop production. BEs are substances or microorganisms that are applied to plants or the surrounding soil to stimulate natural processes to enhance nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, and plant growth. Here, we tested the effectiveness of five BEs to enhance maize growth and phosphorus (P) uptake from various recycled P fertilizers in a series of pot and field experiments.

Impact of conservation tillage on wheat performance and its microbiome.

Winter wheat is an important cereal consumed worldwide. However, current management practices involving chemical fertilizers, irrigation, and intensive tillage may have negative impacts on the environment. Conservation agriculture is often presented as a sustainable alternative to maintain wheat production, favoring the beneficial microbiome.

Quantification of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi root colonization in wheat, tomato, and leek using absolute qPCR.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbioses with most terrestrial plants and are known to have a positive effect on plant growth and health. Different methodologies have been developed to assess the AMF-plant symbiosis. The most applied method, which involves staining of roots and microscopic observation of the AMF structures, is tedious and time-consuming and the results are highly dependent on the observer.

Potato root-associated microbiomes adapt to combined water and nutrient limitation and have a plant genotype-specific role for plant stress mitigation.

Background: Due to climate change and reduced use of fertilizers combined stress scenarios are becoming increasingly frequent in crop production. In a field experiment we tested the effect of combined water and phosphorus limitation on the growth performance and plant traits of eight tetraploid and two diploid potato varieties as well as on root-associated microbiome diversity and functional potential. Microbiome and metagenome analysis targeted the diversity and potential functions of prokaryotes, fungi, plasmids, and bacteriophages and was linked to plant traits like tuber yield or timing of canopy closure.

A new order, Entrophosporales, and three new species in Glomeromycota.

As a result of phylogenomic, phylogenetic, and morphological analyses of members of the genus , four potential new glomoid spore-producing species and , a new order, Entrophosporales, with one family, Entrophosporaceae (=Claroideoglomeraceae), was erected in the phylum Glomeromycota. The phylogenomic analyses recovered the Entrophosporales as sister to a clade formed by Diversisporales and Glomeraceae. The strongly conserved entrophosporoid morph of , provided with a newly designated epitype, was shown to represent a group of cryptic species with the potential to produce different glomoid morphs.

From isolation to application: a case study of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of the Arabian Peninsula.

The vegetation in the Arabian Peninsula experiences drought, heat, soil salinity, and low fertility, mainly due to low phosphorus (P) availability. The beneficial mycorrhizal symbiosis between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is a key factor supporting plant growth under such environmental conditions. Therefore, AMF strains isolated from these soils might be useful as biotechnological tools for agriculture and revegetation practices in the region.

Biofertilizers as Strategies to Improve Photosynthetic Apparatus, Growth, and Drought Stress Tolerance in the Date Palm.

Rainfall regimes are expected to shift on a regional scale as the water cycle intensifies in a warmer climate, resulting in greater extremes in dry versus wet conditions. Such changes are having a strong impact on the agro-physiological functioning of plants that scale up to influence interactions between plants and microorganisms and hence ecosystems. In (semi)-arid ecosystems, the date palm ( L.

Compared to conventional, ecological intensive management promotes beneficial proteolytic soil microbial communities for agro-ecosystem functioning under climate change-induced rain regimes.

Projected climate change and rainfall variability will affect soil microbial communities, biogeochemical cycling and agriculture. Nitrogen (N) is the most limiting nutrient in agroecosystems and its cycling and availability is highly dependent on microbial driven processes. In agroecosystems, hydrolysis of organic nitrogen (N) is an important step in controlling soil N availability.

Effects of two contrasted arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal isolates on nutrient uptake by Sorghum bicolor under drought.

Drought is a limiting factor for crop production, especially in arid and semi-arid climates. In this study, Sorghum bicolor plants were inoculated, or not, with Rhizophagus irregularis, an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) strain typical for temperate climates, or Rhizophagus arabicus, a strain endemic to hyper-arid ecosystems. Plants were grown under well-watered or drought conditions in compartmented microcosms.

Application of Mycorrhiza and Soil from a Permaculture System Improved Phosphorus Acquisition in Naranjilla.

Naranjilla () is a perennial shrub plant mainly cultivated in Ecuador, Colombia, and Central America where it represents an important cash crop. Current cultivation practices not only cause deforestation and large-scale soil degradation but also make plants highly susceptible to pests and diseases. The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can offer a possibility to overcome these problems.

Impact of water regimes on an experimental community of four desert arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) species, as affected by the introduction of a non-native AMF species.

Field studies have revealed the impact of changing water regimes on the structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities, but it is not known what happens to the abundance of individual AMF species within the community when the water conditions in the rhizosphere change. The behavior of four AMF species isolated from the Arabian desert (Diversispora aurantia, Diversispora omaniana, Septoglomus africanum, and an undescribed Paraglomus species) was investigated when assembled in microcosms containing Sorghum bicolor as host plant, and treated with various water regimes. Furthermore, the impact of invasion of these assemblages by Rhizophagus irregularis, an AMF species widely used in commercial inocula, was studied.

Three new species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi discovered at one location in a desert of Oman: Diversispora omaniana, Septoglomus nakheelum and Rhizophagus arabicus.

Three new species of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Glomeromycota) were isolated from soil samples collected from a hyperarid sandy plain of South Arabia. Morphological characteristics of the spores clearly differentiated them from closely related AM species. Molecular analyses were performed on rDNA sequences obtained from single spores including a ~1700 bp region comprising partial SSU, ITS, partial LSU and the ~600 bp ITS region only.