Temporally Selective Modification of the Tomato Rhizosphere and Root Microbiome by Volcanic Ash Fertilizer Containing Micronutrients

Mehlferber, Elijah C.; McCue, Kent F.; Ferrel, Jon; Koskella, Britt; Khanna, Rajnish

doi:10.1128/aem.00049-22

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…For example, Azomite is lightly weathered, contains short-range-order minerals with aluminosilicates, and its application in the top layer of soil may temporarily create andisol-like conditions. In previous studies with greenhouse-grown tomatoes, Azomite increased tomato production (Mehlferber et al, 2022a;2022b), and here it was found to promote early seedling growth. These data suggest that the application of volcanic ash fertilizers, like Azomite may increase soil productivity similarly to Andislos.…”

Section: Potential Of Volcanic Ash Fertilizers In Agriculturesupporting

confidence: 74%

“…In a previous study, it was found that Azomite volcanic ash (DTB) increased tomato fruit production and concurrently it modified the rhizosphere and root endosphere microbial community architecture (Mehlferber et al, 2022b). We hypothesized that the temporal changes in microbiome community structures were primarily driven by the nutrient substrates available to the microbial communities, and that the observed shift suggested an increase in higher carbon (from C2 to C6) compounds in the host plant endosphere and possibly root exudates (Mehlferber et al, 2022b). These results suggested that Azomite treatment somehow modified host plant nutrient profile thereby causing a microbiome shift.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We tested a highly mineralized complex silica ore volcanic ash, surface mined in Utah, Azomite (AZOMITE ® Mineral Products, Inc.) because of its sustainability potential as a fertilizer sourced from a naturally occurring volcanic deposit. In a previous study, it was found that Azomite volcanic ash (DTB) increased tomato fruit production and concurrently it modified the rhizosphere and root endosphere microbial community architecture (Mehlferber et al, 2022b). We hypothesized that the temporal changes in microbiome community structures were primarily driven by the nutrient substrates available to the microbial communities, and that the observed shift suggested an increase in higher carbon (from C2 to C6) compounds in the host plant endosphere and possibly root exudates (Mehlferber et al, 2022b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Photosynthetically active radiation is required for seedling growth promotion by volcanic dacitic tuff breccia (Azomite)

McCue

Mehlferber

Reed

et al. 2022

Preprint

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A plant's growth and development are shaped by its genome and the capacity to negotiate its environment for access to light, water, and nutrients. There is a vital need to understand the interactions between the plant, its physical environment, and the fertilizers used in agriculture. In this study, a commercially available volcanic ash fertilizer, Azomite®, characterized as dacitic (rhyolitic) tuff breccia (DTB), was tested for its effect on promoting early seedling vigor. Early growth and photomorphogenesis processes are well studied in Arabidopsis. Seedling assays under different light conditions were used to dissect the underlying mechanisms involved. These assays are well established and can be translated to agriculturally important crop plants. The volcanic ash fertilizer was tested at different concentrations on seedlings grown on basic media lacking sucrose either in continuous darkness (Dc), continuous Red (Rc), Far-Red (FRc), or White Light (WLc). Micronutrients in the volcanic ash significantly increased seedling growth under Rc and WLc, but not under Dc and FRc, indicating that photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was required for the observed growth increase. Furthermore, red-light photoreceptor mutant, phyB-9 lacked the growth response, and higher amount of fertilizer reduced growth in all conditions tested. These data suggest that light triggers the ability of the seedling to utilize micronutrients in volcanic ash in a dose-dependent manner. The methods described here can be used to establish mechanisms of activity of various nutrient inputs, and coupled with whole-genome expression profiling, can lead to better insights into optimizing nutrient field applications to improve crop production.

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Section: Potential Of Volcanic Ash Fertilizers In Agriculturesupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Photosynthetically active radiation is required for seedling growth promotion by volcanic dacitic tuff breccia (Azomite)

McCue

Mehlferber

Reed

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…The micronutrient supplementation differed between trials, with different preparations and quantities of Azomite®(Azomite Mineral Products, Inc., UT), a soil additive and fertilizer derived from volcanic ash that has previously been shown to increase the growth and yield of tomato plants (Azad et al ., 2016; Mehlferber et al ., 2022). There were three trials performed (Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early phyllosphere microbial associations impact plant reproductive success

Mehlferber

McCue

Debray

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The above-ground plant microbiome (the phyllosphere) is increasingly recognized as an important component of plant health. We hypothesized that phyllosphere interactions may be disrupted in a greenhouse setting, where microbial dispersal is limited, and that adding a microbial amendment might yield important benefits to the host plant. Using a newly developed synthetic phyllosphere microbiome for Tomato, we tested this hypothesis across multiple trials by manipulating microbial colonization of leaves and measuring subsequent plant growth and reproductive success, comparing results from plants grown in both greenhouse and field settings. We confirmed that greenhouse-grown plants have a depauperate phyllosphere microbiome and that the addition of the synthetic microbial community was responsible for a clear and repeatable increase in fruit production in this setting. We further show that this effect is synergistic with the addition of micronutrient-based soil amendments, with important implications for agriculture. These results suggest that greenhouse environments have poor phyllosphere microbiome establishment, with negative impacts on the plant. The results also implicate the phyllosphere microbiome as a key component of plant fitness, emphasizing that these communities have a clear role to play in the ecology and evolution of plant communities.

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“…We tested a highly mineralized complex silica ore volcanic ash, surface mined in Utah, Azomite (AZOMITE ® Mineral Products, Inc.) because of its sustainability potential as a fertilizer sourced from a naturally occurring volcanic deposit. In a previous study, it was found that Azomite volcanic ash (dacitic [rhyolitic] tuff breccia; DTB) increased tomato fruit production, and concurrently, it modified the rhizosphere and root endosphere microbial community architecture (Mehlferber et al, 2022). We hypothesized that the temporal changes in microbiome community structures were primarily driven by the nutrient substrates available to the microbial communities and that the observed shift suggested an increase in higher carbon (from C2 to C6) compounds in the host plant endosphere and possibly root exudates (Mehlferber et al, 2022).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Photosynthetically active radiation is required for seedling growth promotion by volcanic dacitic tuff breccia (Azomite)

McCue,

Mehlferber,

Reed

et al. 2023

Plant Direct

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A plant's growth and development are shaped by its genome and the capacity to negotiate its environment for access to light, water, and nutrients. There is a vital need to understand the interactions between the plant, its physical environment, and the fertilizers used in agriculture. In this study, a commercially available volcanic ash fertilizer, Azomite®, characterized as dacitic (rhyolitic) tuff breccia, was tested for its effect on promoting early seedling vigor. Early growth and photomorphogenesis processes are well studied in Arabidopsis. Seedling assays under different light conditions were used to dissect the underlying mechanisms involved. These assays are well established and can be translated to agriculturally important crop plants. The volcanic ash fertilizer was tested at different concentrations on seedlings grown on basic media lacking sucrose either in continuous darkness (Dc), continuous Red (Rc), Far‐Red (FRc), or White Light (WLc). Micronutrients in the volcanic ash significantly increased seedling growth under Rc and WLc, but not under Dc and FRc, indicating that photosynthetically active radiation was required for the observed growth increase. Furthermore, red‐light photoreceptor mutant, phyB‐9, lacked the growth response, and higher amount of fertilizer reduced growth in all conditions tested. These data suggest that light triggers the ability of the seedling to utilize micronutrients in volcanic ash in a dose‐dependent manner. The methods described here can be used to establish mechanisms of activity of various nutrient inputs and, coupled with whole‐genome expression profiling, can lead to better insights into optimizing nutrient field applications to improve crop production.

show abstract

Temporally Selective Modification of the Tomato Rhizosphere and Root Microbiome by Volcanic Ash Fertilizer Containing Micronutrients

Abstract: Various types of soil fertilizers are used routinely to increase crop yields globally. The effects of these treatments are assessed mainly by the benefits they provide in increased crop productivity.

Cited by 6 publications

References 51 publications

Photosynthetically active radiation is required for seedling growth promotion by volcanic dacitic tuff breccia (Azomite)

Photosynthetically active radiation is required for seedling growth promotion by volcanic dacitic tuff breccia (Azomite)

Early phyllosphere microbial associations impact plant reproductive success

Photosynthetically active radiation is required for seedling growth promotion by volcanic dacitic tuff breccia (Azomite)

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