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Plant Biostimulants - a Promising Tool in Organic Farming
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Plant Biostimulants - a Promising Tool in Organic Farming

A special issue of Journal of Xenobiotics (ISSN 2039-4713). This special issue belongs to the section "Enzyme Systems, Microorganisms and Biotechnological Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2024 | Viewed by 10991

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Paula Honrado Pinto

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Guest Editor
MED, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, Évora University, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Interests: biobeds; bioremediation; metal toxicity; plant biochemistry; phytoremediation; soil fertility; sustainable agriculture; wastewater treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jorge M. S. Faria

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Co-Guest Editor
1. INIAV, I.P., National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-159 Oeiras, Portugal
2. MED, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, Évora University, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Interests: in vitro cultures; ionomics; metabolomics; nematode pest management; plant nutrition; plant physiology and biochemistry; sustainable agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soils form the basis for the development and expansion of agriculture, necessary ecosystem functions and food security. Therefore, they are a critical resource for sustaining life on Earth. For the growing human population to be sustained during the present changes in climate, a drastic transformation in the global food system will be required to achieve a more sustainable agricultural system, capable of feeding people properly, improving fertility and reducing soil degradation without destroying the natural resource base.

Organic farming (OF) can be proposed as an environmentally sustainable option that can help achieve these goals. Organic agriculture avoids the exploitation of natural resources and minimizes the ecological footprint of farming. Improving soil quality using OF (i.e., improving organic matter pool, structure, fertility, and biodiversity) can reduce soil degradation risks (physical, chemical, and biological), while reducing the impact of climate change on natural ecosystems and the functioning of the biosphere.

Furthermore, plant biostimulants (PBs) help farmers adapt to climate change by making crops more resilient and increasing soil health.

PBs are an innovative technology able to ensure agricultural yield with high nutritional values, overcoming yield-limiting factors in many organic production systems. They can not only act directly on plants but also sustain productivity through the selection and stimulation of beneficial soil microorganisms. PBs can be composed of certain substances, mixtures, and microorganisms, and therefore they can be classified as microbial or non-microbial plant biostimulants.

Biostimulant products can help farmers adapt their agricultural systems to an increasingly volatile climate while enhancing food production sustainability, thereby contributing to a climate-smart farm model for the future, which is both resilient and flexible.

The goals of this Special Issue are to gather emergent research dedicated to advances in assessing the use and potential benefits of PBs in OF systems, and to aid sustainable food security and human health by increasing the efficiency of soil, water, and nutrient use.

Dr. Ana Paula Honrado Pinto
Dr. Jorge M. S. Faria
Guest Editors

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. Journal of Xenobiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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

  • biostimulants
  • climate change
  • ecological footprint
  • fertility
  • organic farming
  • soil health

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 6798 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Metolachlor Applications and Phytoremediation Processes on Soil Microorganisms: Insights from Functional Metagenomics Analysis
by Seyedeh Parvin Hejazirad, Caique Menezes de Abreu, Guilherme Henrique Fernandes Carneiro, Carlos Rodrigues Gomes, Paulo Roberto de Carvalho Spinola Filho, Márcia Regina da Costa and José Barbosa dos Santos
J. Xenobiot. 2024, 14(3), 970-988; https://doi.org/10.3390/jox14030054 - 23 Jul 2024
Viewed by 847
Abstract
This study assessed the impact of phytoremediation on reducing the residual concentration of metolachlor in soil treated with doses of 530.7 and 1061.4 g/ha and its effect on microbial biodiversity in contaminated areas. For the plant species Avena sativa and Medicago sativa, [...] Read more.
This study assessed the impact of phytoremediation on reducing the residual concentration of metolachlor in soil treated with doses of 530.7 and 1061.4 g/ha and its effect on microbial biodiversity in contaminated areas. For the plant species Avena sativa and Medicago sativa, a significant efficacy of 54.5 and 36.4% was observed in the dissipation of the herbicide, especially at higher doses. Although metolachlor application reduced soil microbial biodiversity, phytoremediating plants, especially M. sativa, promoted greater richness and distribution of microbial species, mitigating the negative effects of the herbicide. Principal component analysis revealed the influence of these plants and metolachlor on the composition of the microbial community. These results highlight the importance of phytoremediation in promoting soil biodiversity and reducing herbicide contamination, providing crucial insights for remediation strategies in contaminated areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Biostimulants - a Promising Tool in Organic Farming)
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17 pages, 4053 KiB  
Article
Mitigation of Salt Stress in Rice by the Halotolerant Plant Growth-Promoting Bacterium Enterobacter asburiae D2
by Zican Ning, Kexin Lin, Mengya Gao, Xiao Han, Qingjie Guan, Xiang Ji, Shuyu Yu and Lei Lu
J. Xenobiot. 2024, 14(1), 333-349; https://doi.org/10.3390/jox14010021 - 1 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1513
Abstract
Salinity is a major abiotic stress that seriously affects crop growth worldwide. In this work, we aimed to isolate potential halotolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to mitigate the adverse impacts of salt stress in rice. An isolate, D2, with multiple plant growth-promoting (PGP) [...] Read more.
Salinity is a major abiotic stress that seriously affects crop growth worldwide. In this work, we aimed to isolate potential halotolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to mitigate the adverse impacts of salt stress in rice. An isolate, D2, with multiple plant growth-promoting (PGP) characteristics was identified as Enterobacter asburiae D2. Strain D2 could produce indole-3-acetic acid and siderophore. It also exhibited phosphate solubilization and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic deaminase activity. Genome analysis further provided insights into the molecular mechanism of its PGP abilities. Strain D2 inoculation efficiently stimulated rice growth under both normal and saline conditions. Compared with the non-inoculated plants, a significant increase in plant height (18.1–34.7%), root length (25.9–57.1%), root dry weight (57.1–150%), and shoot dry weight (17.3–50.4%) was recorded in inoculated rice seedlings. Meanwhile, rice seedlings inoculated with strain D2 showed improvement in chlorophyll and proline content, while the oxidant damage was reduced in these plants in comparison with the control group. Moreover, the K+/Na+ ratio of the inoculated rice seedlings exposed to NaCl and Na2CO3 was higher than that of the uninoculated groups. These results imply that Enterobacter asburiae D2 is a potential PGPR that can be used for alleviation of salt stress in rice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Biostimulants - a Promising Tool in Organic Farming)
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17 pages, 3554 KiB  
Article
Effect of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria on Antioxidant Status, Acetolactate Synthase Activity, and Growth of Common Wheat and Canola Exposed to Metsulfuron-Methyl
by Margarita Bakaeva, Sergey Chetverikov, Sergey Starikov, Aliya Kendjieva, Gaisar Khudaygulov and Darya Chetverikova
J. Xenobiot. 2024, 14(1), 79-95; https://doi.org/10.3390/jox14010005 - 2 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4524
Abstract
Metsulfuron-methyl, a widely used herbicide, could cause damage to the sensitive plants in crop-rotation systems at extremely low levels in the soil. The potential of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) for enhancing the resistance of plants against herbicide stress has been discovered recently. Therefore, [...] Read more.
Metsulfuron-methyl, a widely used herbicide, could cause damage to the sensitive plants in crop-rotation systems at extremely low levels in the soil. The potential of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) for enhancing the resistance of plants against herbicide stress has been discovered recently. Therefore, it is poorly understood how physiological processes occur in plants, while PGPB reduce the phytotoxicity of herbicides for agricultural crops. In greenhouse studies, the effect of strains Pseudomonas protegens DA1.2 and Pseudomonas chlororaphis 4CH on oxidative damage, acetolactate synthase (ALS), enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in canola (Brassica napus L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were investigated under two levels (0.05 and 0.25 mg∙kg−1) of metsulfuron-methyl using spectrophotometric assays. The inoculation of herbicide-exposed wheat with bacteria significantly increased the shoots fresh weight (24–28%), amount of glutathione GSH (60–73%), and flavonoids (5–14%), as well as activity of ascorbate peroxidase (129–140%), superoxide dismutase SOD (35–49%), and ALS (50–57%). Bacterial treatment stimulated the activity of SOD (37–94%), ALS (65–73%), glutathione reductase (19–20%), and the accumulation of GSH (61–261%), flavonoids (17–22%), and shoots weight (27–33%) in herbicide-exposed canola. Simultaneous inoculation prevented lipid peroxidation induced by metsulfuron-methyl in sensitive plants. Based on the findings, it is possible that the protective role of bacterial strains against metsulfuron-metil is linked to antioxidant system activation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Biostimulants - a Promising Tool in Organic Farming)
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Review

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32 pages, 2761 KiB  
Review
Microbial Exudates as Biostimulants: Role in Plant Growth Promotion and Stress Mitigation
by Mariya Ansari, B. Megala Devi, Ankita Sarkar, Anirudha Chattopadhyay, Lovkush Satnami, Pooraniammal Balu, Manoj Choudhary, Muhammad Adnan Shahid and A. Abdul Kader Jailani
J. Xenobiot. 2023, 13(4), 572-603; https://doi.org/10.3390/jox13040037 - 1 Oct 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3169
Abstract
Microbes hold immense potential, based on the fact that they are widely acknowledged for their role in mitigating the detrimental impacts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which were extensively employed during the Green Revolution era. The consequence of this extensive use has been [...] Read more.
Microbes hold immense potential, based on the fact that they are widely acknowledged for their role in mitigating the detrimental impacts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which were extensively employed during the Green Revolution era. The consequence of this extensive use has been the degradation of agricultural land, soil health and fertility deterioration, and a decline in crop quality. Despite the existence of environmentally friendly and sustainable alternatives, microbial bioinoculants encounter numerous challenges in real-world agricultural settings. These challenges include harsh environmental conditions like unfavorable soil pH, temperature extremes, and nutrient imbalances, as well as stiff competition with native microbial species and host plant specificity. Moreover, obstacles spanning from large-scale production to commercialization persist. Therefore, substantial efforts are underway to identify superior solutions that can foster a sustainable and eco-conscious agricultural system. In this context, attention has shifted towards the utilization of cell-free microbial exudates as opposed to traditional microbial inoculants. Microbial exudates refer to the diverse array of cellular metabolites secreted by microbial cells. These metabolites enclose a wide range of chemical compounds, including sugars, organic acids, amino acids, peptides, siderophores, volatiles, and more. The composition and function of these compounds in exudates can vary considerably, depending on the specific microbial strains and prevailing environmental conditions. Remarkably, they possess the capability to modulate and influence various plant physiological processes, thereby inducing tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Furthermore, these exudates facilitate plant growth and aid in the remediation of environmental pollutants such as chemicals and heavy metals in agroecosystems. Much like live microbes, when applied, these exudates actively participate in the phyllosphere and rhizosphere, engaging in continuous interactions with plants and plant-associated microbes. Consequently, they play a pivotal role in reshaping the microbiome. The biostimulant properties exhibited by these exudates position them as promising biological components for fostering cleaner and more sustainable agricultural systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Biostimulants - a Promising Tool in Organic Farming)
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