Soil Microbial Resources for Improving Fertilizers Efficiency in an Integrated Plant Nutrient Management System

Abstract

Tomorrow’s agriculture, challenged by increasing global demand for food, scarcity of arable lands, and resources alongside multiple environment pressures, needs to be managed smartly through sustainable and eco-efficient approaches. Modern agriculture has to be more productive, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. While macronutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sulfur (S) supplied by mineral fertilizers are vital to crop production, agriculturally beneficial microorganisms may also contribute directly (i.e., biological N2 fixation, P solubilization, and phytohormone production, etc.) or indirectly (i.e., antimicrobial compounds biosynthesis and elicitation of induced systemic resistance, etc.) to crop improvement and fertilizers efficiency. Microbial-based bioformulations that increase plant performance are greatly needed, and in particular bioformulations that exhibit complementary and synergistic effects with mineral fertilization. Such an integrated soil fertility management strategy has been demonstrated through several controlled and non-controlled experiments, but more efforts have to be made in order to thoroughly understand the multiple functions of beneficial microorganisms within the soil microbial community itself and in interaction with plants and mineral resources. In fact, the combined usage of microbial [i.e., beneficial microorganisms: N2-fixing (NF), P-solubilizing, and P mobilizing, etc.] and mineral resources is an emerging research area that aims to design and develop efficient microbial formulations which are highly compatible with mineral inputs, with positive impacts on both crops and environment. This novel approach is likely to be of a global interest, especially in most N- and P-deficient agro-ecosystems. In this review, we report on the importance of NF bacteria and P solubilizing/mobilizing microbes as well as their interactions with mineral P fertilization in improving crop productivity and fertilizers efficiency. In addition, we shed light on the interactive and synergistic effects that may occur within multi-trophic interactions involving those two microbial groups and positive consequences on plant mineral uptake, crop productivity, and resiliency to environmental constraints. Improving use of mineral nutrients is a must to securing higher yield and productivity in a sustainable manner, therefore continuously designing, developing and testing innovative integrated plant nutrient management systems based on relevant biological resources (crops and microorganisms) is highly required.

Effect of triple superphosphate and biowaste compost on mycorrhizal colonization and enzymatic P mobilization under maize in a long‐term field experiment

“…Lack of P leads to a higher P use efficiency of microbes (Bü nemann et al, 2004;Olander and Vitousek, 2004). There-fore, favorable fertilization strategies have to consider the soil microbial resources, which are insufficiently understood and applied in agronomic practice so far (Bargaz et al, 2018). Recently, high stability of bacterial potentials for uptake, solubilization and mineralization of extracellular P in agricultural soils under different fertilization regimes was demonstrated (Grafe et al, 2018).…”

Manganese- and Zinc-Containing Metalloproteins Have a Value in the Species Composition of Semi-Artificial Arid Phytocenoses in the Contact Zone with the Agrocenoses

“…Naturally, only the evolutionary processes may explain all specific generic and species mechanisms of adaptation to environmental conditions, based on the processes of biochemical transformation of manganese and zinc. The basic mechanism of this process is the regulated flow of these microelements from the soil, which is largely determined by the composition and activity of the soil microbiota (Bargaz et al, 2018;Gibbons et al, 2017;Vardharajula et al, 2011).…”

Genomic characterization and computational phenotyping of nitrogen-fixing bacteria isolated from Colombian sugarcane fields

“…Predictions made by computational phenotyping were validated using five distinct experimental assays: (1) Acetylene reduction assay for nitrogen fixation activity, (2) Phosphate solubilization assay, (3) Siderophore production assay, (4) Gibberellic acid production assay, and (5) Indole acetic acid production assay. Details of each experimental assay can be found in the Supplementary Methods.…”

“…The human population is expected to double in size within the next 50 years, which will in turn lead to a massive increase in the global demand for food (1). Given the scarcity of arable land worldwide, an increase in agricultural production of this magnitude will require vast increases in cropping intensity and yield (2). It has been estimated that as much as 90% of the increase in global crop production will need to come from increased yield alone (3).…”