Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) Cultivation Combined with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Inoculation and Steel Slag Application Influences Trace Elements-Polluted Soil Bacterial Functioning

Abstract

The cultivation of aromatic plants for the extraction of essential oils has been presented as an innovative and economically viable alternative for the remediation of areas polluted with trace elements (TE). Therefore, this study focuses on the contribution of the cultivation of coriander and the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in combination with mineral amendments (steel slag) on the bacterial function of the rhizosphere, an aspect that is currently poorly understood and studied. The introduction of soil amendments, such as steel slag or mycorrhizal inoculum, had no significant effect on coriander growth. However, steel slag changed the structure of the bacterial community in the rhizosphere without affecting microbial function. In fact, Actinobacteria were significantly less abundant under slag-amended conditions, while the relative proportion of Gemmatimonadota increased. On the other hand, the planting of coriander affects the bacterial community structure and significantly increased the bacterial functional richness of the amended soil. Overall, these results show that planting coriander most affected the structure and functioning of bacterial communities in the TE-polluted soils and reversed the effects of mineral amendments on rhizosphere bacterial communities and their activities. This study highlights the potential of coriander, especially in combination with steel slag, for phytomanagement of TE-polluted soils, by improving soil quality and health.

The Interaction Effect Between PGPR Bacteria, Mycorrhizae, and Oyster Mushroom Residues on Soil Biological Traits, Yield, and Quantity of Coriander Oil (Coriandrum sativum L.)

“…This may be due to the joint cooperation, as the bacterial biofertilizer works to secrete some growth regulators, organic acids, and sugars that reduce the degree of soil interaction, which increased the growth of fungi in the soil, with the presence of mushroom residues that encouraged the growth of microorganisms in the soil. In addition, mycorrhizal inoculation increased the number of spores in the soil, which was thus reflected in the increase in the activity of the mycorrhizae fungus, which led to an increase in the rate of infection of mycorrhizal roots [37].…”

PGPR-Soil Microbial Communities’ Interactions and Their Influence on Wheat Growth Promotion and Resistance Induction against Mycosphaerella graminicola

“…The metabolic potential of soil communities was assessed using community-level physiological profiles (CLPP) with Biolog EcoPlate (Biolog Inc., Hayward, CA, USA; [28]). Soil samples were analyzed in triplicate using an EcoPlate consisting of 31 different carbon sources and a blank control.…”