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Agronomy
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Novel Agroecological Strategies Based on Beneficial Microbes
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Novel Agroecological Strategies Based on Beneficial Microbes

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Biosystem and Biological Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 36208

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jorge M. S. Faria

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Guest Editor
1. INIAV, I.P., Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, 2780-159 Oeiras, Portugal
2. MED, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Évora University, 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
Dr. Clarisse Brígido

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Interests: rhizosphere engeneering; sustainable agriculture; plant–bacteria interactions; rhizobia–legume symbioses; plant growth promotion; microbe–plant signaling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Esther Menéndez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Microbiology and Genetics, Spanish-Portuguese Institute of Agricultural Research (CIALE), Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
2. MED, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Évora University, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Interests: plant probiotic bacteria; plant–microbe interactions; sustainable agriculture; biofertilizers; soil fertility; soil and plant microbial communities; metagenomics; microbial ecology and biodiversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With an ever-growing world population, the demand for nutrient-rich food sources also increases. Together with the higher awareness for the environmental problems inherent to conventional food production systems, this demand imposes pressures on modern agriculture to produce high yielding crops in a sustainable manner. Research for alternative high-performance greener strategies to improve crop productivity has increasingly focused on the use of biological natural resources to reduce or even to replace chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides, which are responsible for heavy ecological and environmental damages to surrounding ecosystems. The use of beneficial microbes, along with appropriate agricultural management, provides a clean eco-friendly strategy to increase crop productivity, to manage environmental stress, and to combat biotic pests, through mechanisms which are not fully understood. A better understanding of how plant–microbe interactions occur and identification of the mechanisms responsible for the synergistic outcomes will help to establish the way in which these mechanisms improve plant health, thus allowing the design of new and improved strategies for a future integrated agriculture with neutral environmental impacts.

This special issue is dedicated to the most recent research focused on crop improvement using beneficial microbes or their products to accelerate the application of greener agricultural practices. In the scope of sustainable farming, manuscripts dedicated to advancing our understanding of plant–microbe interactions are most welcome.

Dr. Jorge M. S. Faria
Dr. Clarisse Brigido
Dr. Esther Menéndez
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. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • Abiotic stress
  • Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
  • Biotic stress
  • Climate change
  • Environmental stress
  • Genomics
  • Metabolomics
  • Metagenomics
  • Microbiome
  • Plant growth promoting bacteria
  • Proteomics
  • Rhizobia
  • Stress tolerance
  • Sustainable farming
  • Transcriptomics

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 971 KiB  
Article
Subcellular Element Distribution in Shoots of Wheat Grown in an Acidic Soil with Native AMF Extraradical Mycelium
by Jorge M. S. Faria, Ana Paula Pinto, Dora Martins Teixeira, Pedro Barrulas, Isabel Brito and Mário Carvalho
Agronomy 2022, 12(9), 2173; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092173 - 13 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1814
Abstract
Soil acidity can reduce crop growth by increasing bioavailable soil Al, Fe, and/or Mn to toxic levels. The presence of an intact extraradical mycelium (ERM) of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), developed by the native Ornithopus compressus in the acidic soil, can increase wheat [...] Read more.
Soil acidity can reduce crop growth by increasing bioavailable soil Al, Fe, and/or Mn to toxic levels. The presence of an intact extraradical mycelium (ERM) of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), developed by the native Ornithopus compressus in the acidic soil, can increase wheat growth and prevent symptoms of Mn toxicity. To understand the protective effect of the intact ERM of this native plant on wheat element balance and distribution, in the present study, shoot Al, Fe, K, Zn, Na, and Si levels and their subcellular partitioning were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), for the first time, for this system. In undisturbed soil, where an intact ERM structure is maintained, wheat shoot growth was promoted, probably due to faster root mycorrhizal colonization. The levels of potentially toxic Al and Fe were reduced, the proportions of the macronutrient K and micronutrient Zn were higher in the symplast, and the Na proportion increased in the vacuole, while Si increased in the apoplast. Overall, the undisturbed soil from O. compressus treatment appeared to influence the uptake and distribution of essential and beneficial elements, as a strategy to reduce the negative effect of soil acidity on wheat growth. Understanding the dynamics of element distribution influenced by stress-adapted AMF on wheat growth can provide more sustainable approaches to intensive agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Agroecological Strategies Based on Beneficial Microbes)
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12 pages, 2038 KiB  
Article
Biocontrol of Potato Common Scab Cultivated on Different Soil Mulch
by John Silva Porto, Tiyoko Nair Hojo Rebouças, Abel Rebouças São José, Alcebíades Rebouças São José, Nilvanira Donizete Tebaldi and José Magno Queiroz Luz
Agronomy 2022, 12(4), 904; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12040904 - 9 Apr 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2716
Abstract
Potato common scab causes significant economic losses worldwide, and current control methods remain ineffective. However, biological control methods have been effective in controlling phytopathogens in several other crops. Trichoderma spp. and Bacillus subtilis are the most studied microorganisms in agriculture for controlling plant [...] Read more.
Potato common scab causes significant economic losses worldwide, and current control methods remain ineffective. However, biological control methods have been effective in controlling phytopathogens in several other crops. Trichoderma spp. and Bacillus subtilis are the most studied microorganisms in agriculture for controlling plant diseases. However, interactions between these biological control agents and the organic matter present at the cultivation site have not been extensively studied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the action of biological agents in controlling potato common scab using different soil mulch compositions. Two field experiments were performed simultaneously: one tested T. longibrachiatum (TL) and T. asperellum (TA) treatments in the control of potato scab, and the other tested two types of soil mulch (vetch and palisade grass) and four microorganism treatments (TL, TA, B. subtilis + Enterococcus faecium + Lactobacillus plantarum (BSEFLP), and B. subtilis + B. licheniformis + T. longibrachiatum (BSBLTL)). In the first experiment, TL and TA decreased the disease severity from 80% in the control to 34%, and 56% in the control to 5%, respectively, based on yield losses caused by the potato scab. In the second experiment, TA and BSEFLP reduced the disease severity to 61% and 62%, respectively, compared with that in the control (98%), and losses caused by the common scab to 38% and 40%, respectively, when combined with vetch mulch (control: 98%), demonstrating that microbial response can be influenced by the cover crop. Therefore, this work provides evidence that biological control of potato common scab is a viable alternative for disease control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Agroecological Strategies Based on Beneficial Microbes)
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14 pages, 1105 KiB  
Article
Beneficial Soil Fungi and Jabuticaba Growth Promotion
by Maira Nascimento Batistello, Nayane Fonseca Brito, Willian Nogueira de Sousa, Cristina Aledi Felsemburgh, Thiago Almeida Vieira and Denise Castro Lustosa
Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 367; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020367 - 31 Jan 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2568
Abstract
Trichoderma is a genus of fungi widely used in agriculture as a biocontrol agent and more recently as a plant growth promoter. We evaluated five Trichoderma isolates, in different application modes, throughout the development of jabuticaba seedlings. These included three isolates of the [...] Read more.
Trichoderma is a genus of fungi widely used in agriculture as a biocontrol agent and more recently as a plant growth promoter. We evaluated five Trichoderma isolates, in different application modes, throughout the development of jabuticaba seedlings. These included three isolates of the species Trichoderma asperellum (Tam01, Tam02, and Tam03) and two isolates of Trichoderma sp. (Tc and Tce) in four modes of application: via seeds; in applications on the pre-planting substrate; in monthly applications in the post-planting substrate; and their combination. The control treatment consisted of plants without the use of Trichoderma. Seedling height, collar diameter, and the number of leaves were evaluated monthly. Statistical analysis was conducted using data collected two, four, seven, and thirteen months after emergence. The application of Trichoderma promoted the growth of jabuticaba seedlings up to four months after emergence. The isolate Tam03 and the application via seeds were the treatments that most influenced the analyzed variables at four months. The use of Trichoderma stimulated the beginning of the development of jabuticaba seedlings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Agroecological Strategies Based on Beneficial Microbes)
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Review

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14 pages, 1752 KiB  
Review
Bacillus velezensis: A Beneficial Biocontrol Agent or Facultative Phytopathogen for Sustainable Agriculture
by Muhammad Fazle Rabbee, Buyng-Su Hwang and Kwang-Hyun Baek
Agronomy 2023, 13(3), 840; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030840 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 9646
Abstract
Microbial biocontrol agents are efficient and environment-friendly in eradicating plant pathogenic bacteria. In recent years, Bacillus velezensis has gained popularity as a potential biocontrol agent in many countries. Several B. velezensis-based biocontrol products, previously identified as B. amyloliquefaciens or B. [...] Read more.
Microbial biocontrol agents are efficient and environment-friendly in eradicating plant pathogenic bacteria. In recent years, Bacillus velezensis has gained popularity as a potential biocontrol agent in many countries. Several B. velezensis-based biocontrol products, previously identified as B. amyloliquefaciens or B. amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum, have received commercial approval, particularly in China and Europe. In this study, we compiled recent research findings on B. velezensis related to the production of antimicrobials, volatile organic compounds, induction of disease resistance, and the effect of this bacterium on plant growth promotion and yield. However, some recent research indicates that this important resource is also linked to several diseases in crops, including peach, onion, and potato, and the negative aspects of this bacterium in terms of its virulence traits to infect crops have not been summarized before. In this review, we compile the recent reports of this bacterium in term of its beneficial properties in agriculture. In addition, we also discuss several reports about its harmful effect on several crops as well. Therefore, due to the inherent pathogenicity of this bacterium to several crops, care must be taken when using it in a novel crop cultivation technique. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Agroecological Strategies Based on Beneficial Microbes)
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17 pages, 1137 KiB  
Review
Harnessing Trichoderma in Agriculture for Productivity and Sustainability
by Nur Syafikah Abdullah, Febri Doni, Muhamad Shakirin Mispan, Mohd Zuwairi Saiman, Yusmin Mohd Yusuf, Mushafau Adebayo Oke and Nurul Shamsinah Mohd Suhaimi
Agronomy 2021, 11(12), 2559; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11122559 - 16 Dec 2021
Cited by 49 | Viewed by 11991
Abstract
Increased agricultural activities driven by rising food demand have led to environmental problems mostly arising from the high levels of external inputs and resources that are required. Additionally, environmental changes, such as global warming, can lead to various biotic and abiotic stresses, which [...] Read more.
Increased agricultural activities driven by rising food demand have led to environmental problems mostly arising from the high levels of external inputs and resources that are required. Additionally, environmental changes, such as global warming, can lead to various biotic and abiotic stresses, which have negative impacts on crop production. Numerous solutions and agricultural strategies have been introduced to overcome these problems. One of the ways to improve plant production as well as to increase resistance towards biotic and abiotic stresses is by utilizing beneficial microbes as soil inoculants. A better understanding of the ability of Trichoderma to enhance crop production and the mechanisms that are involved are important for deriving maximum benefits from their exploitation. These versatile fungi hold great promise for the development of viable commercial products that can be used widely in agriculture for increasing crop productivity in a more sustainable way. Many previous reviews on Trichoderma have tended to focus on the mechanisms of Trichoderma in enhancing plant growth and yield. This current review discusses the sustainability aspect of using Trichoderma as plant growth regulators, the impact on plant growth and yield as well as their effects in regulating biotic and abiotic stresses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Agroecological Strategies Based on Beneficial Microbes)
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12 pages, 323 KiB  
Review
Plant Growth-Promoting Microorganisms in Coffee Production: From Isolation to Field Application
by Narcisa Urgiles-Gómez, María Eugenia Avila-Salem, Paúl Loján, Max Encalada, Leslye Hurtado, Salomé Araujo, Yadira Collahuazo, José Guachanamá, Nohemy Poma, Klever Granda, Angel Robles, Carolina Senés and Pablo Cornejo
Agronomy 2021, 11(8), 1531; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11081531 - 30 Jul 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 6088
Abstract
Coffee is an important, high-value crop because its roasted beans are used to produce popular beverages that are consumed worldwide. Coffee plantations exist in over 70 countries and constitute the main economic activity of approximately 125 million people. Currently, there is global concern [...] Read more.
Coffee is an important, high-value crop because its roasted beans are used to produce popular beverages that are consumed worldwide. Coffee plantations exist in over 70 countries and constitute the main economic activity of approximately 125 million people. Currently, there is global concern regarding the excessive use of agrochemicals and pesticides in agriculture, including coffee crops. This situation has motivated researchers, administrators, and farmers to seek ecologically friendly alternatives to decrease the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. In the last decades, multiple studies of the rhizosphere, at the chemical, physical and biological levels, have improved our understanding of the importance of beneficial microorganisms to plant health and growth. This review aims to summarize the state of the use of plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) in coffee production, where the most extensively studied microorganisms are beneficial plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). This review also contains information on PGPM, in regard to plantations at different latitudes, isolation techniques, mass multiplication, formulation methods, and the application of PGPM in nurseries, monoculture, and coffee agroforestry systems. Finally, this review focuses on relevant research performed during the last decade that can help us improve sustainable coffee production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Agroecological Strategies Based on Beneficial Microbes)
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