Cited by 107Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunitySoil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsMycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions

Enhancing soil health and nutrient cycling through soil amendments: improving the synergy of bacteria and fungi

Open access
Ding, Yanhong, Gao, Xiaodong, Shu, Duntao, Siddique, Kadambot H.M., Song, Xiaolin, Wu, Pute, Li, Changjian, Zhao, Xining·2024·Science of The Total Environment

Abstract

The synergy between bacteria and fungi is a key determinant of soil health and have a positive effect on plant development under drought conditions, with the potentially enhancing the sustainability of amending soil with natural materials. However, identifying how soil amendments influence plant growth is often difficult due to the complexity of microorganisms and their links with different soil amendment types and environmental factors. To address this, we conducted a field experiment to examine the impact of soil amendments (biochar, Bacillus mucilaginosus, Bacillus subtilis and super absorbent polymer) on plant growth. We also assessed variations in microbial community, links between fungi and bacteria, and soil available nutrients, while exploring how the synergistic effects between fungus and bacteria influenced the response of soil amendments to plant growth. This study revealed that soil amendments reduced soil bacterial diversity but increased the proportion of the family Enterobacteriaceae, Nitrosomonadaceae, and also increased soil fungal diversity and the proportion of the sum of the family Lasiosphaeriaceae, Chaetomiaceae, Pleosporaceae. Changes in soil microbial communities lead to increase the complexity of microbial co-occurrence networks. Furthermore, this heightened network complexity enhanced the synergy of soil bacteria and fungi, supporting bacterial functions related to soil nutrient cycling, such as metabolic functions and genetic, environmental, and cellular processes. Hence, the BC and BS had 3.0-fold and 0.5-fold greater root length densities than CK and apple tree shoot growth were increased by 62.14 %,50.53 % relative to CK, respectively. In sum, our results suggest that the synergistic effect of bacteria and fungi impacted apple tree growth indirectly by modulating soil nutrient cycling. These findings offer a new strategy for enhancing the quality of arable land in arid and semi-arid regions.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171332

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  • Long term integration of agroecological elements such as efficiency, recycling, and synergies is likely to improve physiochemical soil health characteristics, particularly at advanced stages of agroecological transition.

    “Long term integration of agroecological elements such as efficiency, recycling, and synergies is likely to improve physiochemical soil health characteristics, particularly at advanced stages of agroecological transition (Ding et al., 2024;Lal, 2016).”

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Authors
Ding, Y., Gao, X., Shu, D., Siddique, K. H. M., Song, X., Wu, P., Li, C., & Zhao, X.
Affiliations
  • Northwest A&F University (CN)
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
  • The University of Western Australia (AU)
Corresponding author
  • Li, Changjian
  • Zhao, Xining
Venue
Science of The Total Environment
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2024-05
Volume
923
Pages
171332
ISSN
0048-9697 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4392613338
Cited by
107
References
97
Citations by year
2026: 35 · 2025: 55 · 2024: 17
FWCI
26.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Science of The Total Environment (publishedVersion)
  • SSRN Electronic Journal (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Cyrus Tang Foundation
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (42125705, 52209069)
  • National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFD1900700)
  • Shanxi Provincial Key Research and Development Project (2020ZDLNY07-04, 2021NY-064)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
Keywords
soil amendment, soil health, nutrient cycling, microbial co-occurrence networks, biochar, Bacillus mucilaginosus, Bacillus subtilis, superabsorbent polymers, soil microbial communities, soil fungal diversity, soil bacterial diversity, apple tree growth, drought tolerance
MeSH terms
Nutrients, Bacteria, Fungi, Soil, Soil Microbiology, Microbiota

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