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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Interactions of Mycorrhizal Fungi and Other Soil Microorganisms with Plants
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Interactions of Mycorrhizal Fungi and Other Soil Microorganisms with Plants

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Microbe Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 4478

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xingjia Xiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
Interests: environmental microbiology; microbial ecology
Dr. Ruibo Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environment, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230601, China
Interests: microbial ecology; plant-microbial interaction; functional microorganism
Dr. Jia Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Soil and Fertilizer & Resources and Environment Institute, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchang 330200, China
Interests: soil fertility; microbes; production and utilization of green manure crops; acidified soil amelioration and utilization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil microorganisms have important effects on soil nutrient cycling, and also improve plant growth. Mycorrhizal fungi are particularly closely related to plants and have a greater effect on plant growth by improving plant nutrients and stress tolerance. However, there are certain pathogens in soil to inhibit plant growth. In addition, the aboveground plants could regulate belowground microbial community. Plants allocate 20–40% of total photosynthetic products to soil for microbial growth. Thus, the interactions between aboveground plants and belowground microbial community might be an interesting research topic.

This research topic welcomes the submission (original research articles, reviews and opinions) related, but not limited to, the following subjects:

  1. Symbiotic relationship between plants and mycorrhiza;
  2. The interaction between plants and rhizosphere microorganisms;
  3. Effect of plant succession on soil microbial community;
  4. Soil-borne diseases and their effects on plant growth.

Dr. Xingjia Xiang
Dr. Ruibo Sun
Dr. Jia Liu
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. Microorganisms 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 2700 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

  • soil microbial community
  • plant
  • interaction
  • symbiotic relationship
  • soil pathogen

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4140 KiB  
Article
Pine Rhizosphere Soil Microorganisms Enhance the Growth and Resistance of Pinus massoniana Against Nematode Infection
by Jiacheng Zhu, Chenxi Deng, Yichi Zhang, Manman Liu, Guoying Zhou and Junang Liu
Microorganisms 2025, 13(4), 790; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13040790 - 30 Mar 2025
Viewed by 71
Abstract
Pine wilt disease, caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, poses severe ecological and economic threats to coniferous forests. This study isolated two fungal (Arthropsis hispanica, Penicillium sclerotiorum) and two bacterial (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Enterobacter hormaechei) strains from Pinus massoniana [...] Read more.
Pine wilt disease, caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, poses severe ecological and economic threats to coniferous forests. This study isolated two fungal (Arthropsis hispanica, Penicillium sclerotiorum) and two bacterial (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Enterobacter hormaechei) strains from Pinus massoniana rhizospheres, evaluating their biocontrol potential against pine wood nematodes. Molecular characterization confirmed strain identities. In vitro assays demonstrated that combined fermentation filtrates of CSX134+CSZ71 and CSX60+CSZ71 significantly enhanced plant growth parameters (height, biomass) and root-associated soil enzyme activities (urease, acid phosphatase) in P. massoniana. Treated plants exhibited elevated defense enzyme activities and upregulated defense-related gene expression. The treatments achieved 75.07% and 69.65% nematode control efficacy, respectively, compared to controls. These findings highlight the potential of microbial consortia in activating systemic resistance and suppressing pine wilt disease through the dual mechanisms of growth promotion and defense induction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interactions of Mycorrhizal Fungi and Other Soil Microorganisms with Plants)
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17 pages, 1662 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Sorghum Growth: Influence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Sorgoleone
by Isabela Figueiredo de Oliveira, Maria Lúcia Ferreira Simeone, Ubiraci Gomes de Paula Lana, Cristiane de Carvalho Guimarães and Sylvia Morais de Sousa Tinôco
Microorganisms 2025, 13(2), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020423 - 15 Feb 2025
Viewed by 483
Abstract
The low availability of phosphorus (P) in soil is one of the main constraints on crop production. Plants have developed several strategies to increase P use efficiency, including modifications in root morphology, the exudation of different compounds, and associations with microorganisms such as [...] Read more.
The low availability of phosphorus (P) in soil is one of the main constraints on crop production. Plants have developed several strategies to increase P use efficiency, including modifications in root morphology, the exudation of different compounds, and associations with microorganisms such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). This study aimed to investigate the effect of sorgoleone compound on AMF colonization and its subsequent impact on P uptake, rhizosphere microbiota, and sorghum growth. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using the sorghum genotype P9401, known for low sorgoleone production. Three doses of purified sorgoleone (20 μM, 40 μM, and 80 μM) were added to low-P soil and plants were harvested after 45 days. Treatments included inoculation with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Rhizophagus clarus and a negative control without inoculum. The addition of 40 and 80 μM of sorgoleone did not significantly increase mycorrhization. However, treatment with 20 μM sorgoleone combined with R. clarus inoculation significantly increased total sorghum biomass by 1.6-fold (p ≤ 0.05) compared to the non-inoculated treatment. AMF inoculation influenced only AMF colonization and the fungal microbiota, without affecting the bacterial community, whereas sorgoleone showed no effect on either. The activities of acid and alkaline phosphatases in the rhizospheric soil did not differ significantly among the treatments. Furthermore, the sorghum genes CYP71AM1, associated with sorgoleone biosynthesis, and Sb02g009880, Sb06g002560, Sb06g002540, and Sb03g029970 (related to phosphate transport induced by mycorrhiza) were significantly upregulated (p ≤ 0.05) in fine roots under these conditions. The 20 μM concentration of sorgoleone can enhance AMF colonization in sorghum and promote plant growth under low-P conditions, without significantly altering the microbiota. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interactions of Mycorrhizal Fungi and Other Soil Microorganisms with Plants)
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15 pages, 2421 KiB  
Article
Effect of Warming on Soil Fungal Community Along Altitude Gradients in a Subalpine Meadow
by Jing Yin, Dandan Yuan, Jing Lu, He Li, Shuzheng Luo, Jianhua Zhang and Xingjia Xiang
Microorganisms 2024, 12(12), 2527; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12122527 - 7 Dec 2024
Viewed by 819
Abstract
The subalpine grassland ecosystem is sensitive to climatic changes. Previous studies investigated the effects of warming on grassland ecosystems at a single altitude, with little information about the response of subalpine meadows to warming along altitude gradients. This study aimed to evaluate the [...] Read more.
The subalpine grassland ecosystem is sensitive to climatic changes. Previous studies investigated the effects of warming on grassland ecosystems at a single altitude, with little information about the response of subalpine meadows to warming along altitude gradients. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of warming on aboveground grass, belowground soil properties, and fungal community along altitude gradients in the subalpine meadow of Mount Wutai using the high-throughput sequencing method. Warming reduced the restriction of low temperatures on the growth of subalpine grass, resulting in increasing grass biomass, community height, and coverage. More grass biomass led to higher soil organic carbon resources, which primarily affected fungal community composition following warming. Warming might induce more stochastic processes of fungal community assembly, increasing fungal diversity at low altitudes. In contrast, warming triggered more deterministic processes to decrease fungal diversity at medium and high altitudes. Warming might improve the efficiency of soil nutrient cycling and organic matter turnover by increasing the relative abundance of soil saprotrophs and improving fungal network connectivity. The relative abundance of certain grass pathogens significantly increased following warming, thereby posing potential risks to the sustainability and stability of subalpine meadow ecosystems. Overall, this study comprehensively evaluated the response of the subalpine meadow ecosystems to warming along altitude gradients, clarifying that warming changes soil fungal community composition at different altitudes. The long-term monitoring of pathogen-related shifts should be conducted in subalpine meadow ecosystem following warming. This study provided significant scientific insights into the impact of future climatic changes on subalpine ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interactions of Mycorrhizal Fungi and Other Soil Microorganisms with Plants)
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13 pages, 5411 KiB  
Article
Effect of Nitrogen on Microbial Communities of Purple Mudstone Weathering Products in Southwest China: A Column Experiment
by Chunpei Li, Wanting Li, Peng Xu, Xuan Wang, Jialiang Tang, Gangcai Liu, Ting Wang and Jixia Zhao
Microorganisms 2024, 12(8), 1548; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12081548 - 29 Jul 2024
Viewed by 900
Abstract
Nitrogen application significantly affects microorganisms in agricultural ecosystems. However, it is still unclear how nitrogen application affects soil chemical properties and microbial communities in purple mudstone weathering products. In this study, a field soil column experiment was conducted in a typical purple soil [...] Read more.
Nitrogen application significantly affects microorganisms in agricultural ecosystems. However, it is still unclear how nitrogen application affects soil chemical properties and microbial communities in purple mudstone weathering products. In this study, a field soil column experiment was conducted in a typical purple soil area with four nitrogen fertilizer application gradients of 0 [CK], 280 [N1], 560 [N2], and 840 [N3] N kg ha−1. Nitrogen addition decreased the bacterial chao1 value and increased the bacterial evenness index. For both α- and β-diversity, the effect of nitrogen addition on bacteria was much greater than that on fungi. Nitrogen addition significantly increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Bacteroidetes, and Ascomycota and decreased the relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Basidiomycota. Both pH and TC are the most important soil chemical properties influencing the bacterial and fungal communities. With the increases in the nitrogen application rate, the co-occurrence network complexity increased and then decreased. In summary, nitrogen fertilizer application could significantly change the soil chemical properties, microbial community diversity, composition, and co-occurrence network of purple mudstone weathering products. Among them, the N2 treatment (560 N kg∙ha−1) can more effectively stimulate the soil nutrients, enhance microbial network complexity, and promote further weathering of purple mudstone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interactions of Mycorrhizal Fungi and Other Soil Microorganisms with Plants)
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21 pages, 7117 KiB  
Article
Green Manuring Enhances Soil Multifunctionality in Tobacco Field in Southwest China
by Yu Feng, Hua Chen, Libo Fu, Mei Yin, Zhiyuan Wang, Yongmei Li and Weidong Cao
Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 949; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12050949 - 7 May 2024
Viewed by 1208
Abstract
The use of green manure can substantially increase the microbial diversity and multifunctionality of soil. Green manuring practices are becoming popular for tobacco production in China. However, the influence of different green manures in tobacco fields has not yet been clarified. Here, smooth [...] Read more.
The use of green manure can substantially increase the microbial diversity and multifunctionality of soil. Green manuring practices are becoming popular for tobacco production in China. However, the influence of different green manures in tobacco fields has not yet been clarified. Here, smooth vetch (SV), hairy vetch (HV), broad bean (BB), common vetch (CV), rapeseed (RS), and radish (RD) were selected as green manures to investigate their impact on soil multifunctionality and evaluate their effects on enhancing soil quality for tobacco cultivation in southwest China. The biomass of tobacco was highest in the SV treatment. Soil pH declined, and soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content in CV and BB and activity of extracellular enzymes in SV and CV treatments were higher than those in other treatments. Fungal diversity declined in SV and CV but did not affect soil multifunctionality, indicating that bacterial communities contributed more to soil multifunctionality than fungal communities. The abundance of Firmicutes, Rhizobiales, and Micrococcales in SV and CV treatments increased and was negatively correlated with soil pH but positively correlated with soil multifunctionality, suggesting that the decrease in soil pH contributed to increases in the abundance of functional bacteria. In the bacteria–fungi co-occurrence network, the relative abundance of key ecological modules negatively correlated with soil multifunctionality and was low in SV, CV, BB, and RS treatments, and this was associated with reductions in soil pH and increases in the content of SOM and nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N). Overall, we found that SV and CV are more beneficial for soil multifunctionality, and this was driven by the decrease in soil pH and the increase in SOM, TN, NO3−-N, and C- and N-cycling functional bacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interactions of Mycorrhizal Fungi and Other Soil Microorganisms with Plants)
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