Plant–Soil Feedback: Bridging Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Abstract

In agricultural and natural systems researchers have demonstrated large effects of plant-soil feedback (PSF) on plant growth. However, the concepts and approaches used in these two types of systems have developed, for the most part, independently. Here, we present a conceptual framework that integrates knowledge and approaches from these two contrasting systems. We use this integrated framework to demonstrate (i) how knowledge from complex natural systems can be used to increase agricultural resource-use efficiency and productivity and (ii) how research in agricultural systems can be used to test hypotheses and approaches developed in natural systems. Using this framework, we discuss avenues for new research toward an ecologically sustainable and climate-smart future.

A plant’s inheritance : Soil legacy effects of crops and wild relatives in relation to plant functional traits

“…However, it is conceivable that also in agro-ecosystems these ecological principles can be applied despite the fact that in those systems human intervention creates specific conditions for plant growth (Philippot et al 2013;Milla et al 2015;Pérez-Jaramillo, Mendes & Raaijmakers 2016;Mariotte et al 2018). Not only are soil nutrient levels managed but also the plant traits themselves have undergone selection by humans for desirable traits such as fast growth and high yields (García-Palacios et al 2013;Tribouillois et al 2015;Milla & Matesanz 2017;Roucou et al 2018).…”

“…Not only are soil nutrient levels managed but also the plant traits themselves have undergone selection by humans for desirable traits such as fast growth and high yields (García-Palacios et al 2013;Tribouillois et al 2015;Milla & Matesanz 2017;Roucou et al 2018). This, on the one hand provides an extension to the trait and environmental spectra and on the other hand enables to test mechanisms underlying plant legacy effects in a relative simple yet highly relevant setting, as agroecosystems tend to be simplified in comparison to natural systems (García-Palacios et al 2013;Tribouillois et al 2015;Mariotte et al 2018). The relevance is two-fold as first, beneficial plant legacy effects may enable the development of more sustainable agriculture and second, many mechanistic studies on PSF or plant legacy effects have been performed in highly controlled settings which raises questions about their relevance for the 'real world' (Faucon, Houben & Lambers 2017;Mariotte et al 2018).…”

“…This, on the one hand provides an extension to the trait and environmental spectra and on the other hand enables to test mechanisms underlying plant legacy effects in a relative simple yet highly relevant setting, as agroecosystems tend to be simplified in comparison to natural systems (García-Palacios et al 2013;Tribouillois et al 2015;Mariotte et al 2018). The relevance is two-fold as first, beneficial plant legacy effects may enable the development of more sustainable agriculture and second, many mechanistic studies on PSF or plant legacy effects have been performed in highly controlled settings which raises questions about their relevance for the 'real world' (Faucon, Houben & Lambers 2017;Mariotte et al 2018). For example, in PSF research in natural ecosystems this problem is recognised by several authors, who call for testing of PSF mechanisms under realistic field conditions (Kulmatiski et al 2008;van der Putten et al 2016).…”

“…Plants growing in mixtures can complement each other in the uptake of resources which enables increased plant community productivity and build-up of soil C-and N stocks, as well as reduced pathogen pressure (De Deyn et al 2009;Schnitzer et al 2011;Cong et al 2014;Iverson et al 2014). Conversely, in agro-ecosystems crops are often grown in monocultures, however these systems offer an intermediate stage towards the complexity of natural plant-and soil biodiversity as plant diversity in time is or can be easily integrated in the system (Mariotte et al 2018). The cultivation of a sequence of crops allows to test plant legacy effects of diversity over time, raising the question: do the legacy effects of a first plant affect the growth of a third plant, or are they overcome by the growth of a second plant?…”

“…However, the level of intensive adaptation of the agro-ecosystem environment has resulted in side-effects, such as reduced belowground resource allocation and reduced herbivore and pathogen defences (Milla et al 2015;Pérez-Jaramillo, Mendes & Raaijmakers 2016;Milla & Matesanz 2017). Therefore, a comparison of plant-soil interactions in agriculture and natural systems is advocated (Philippot et al 2013;Mariotte et al 2018), because it offers opportunities to strengthen sustainable agriculture based on insights from natural mechanisms of resource use efficiency, disease suppression and pest control.…”