Native bacteria and cyanobacteria can influence seedling emergence and growth of native plants used in dryland restoration

Dadzie, Frederick; Moles, Angela T.; Erickson, Todd E.; Muñoz‐Rojas, Miriam

doi:10.1111/1365-2664.14293

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…However, none of these studies test the effects of these strains in extruded pellets as employed here. Despite a paucity of comparable studies on the effectiveness of microbial amendments, commercially available or otherwise, in similar encapsulations (Brown et al 2021), there is increasing evidence in this area (Dadzie et al 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We suspect that any emergence and seedling growth benefits from plant‐growth‐promoting bacteria in the amended pellets may also have been diminished due to there being very few limiting‐factors to plant growth including accessible nutrients and the relevant native microbes likely already present in the potting tube soil and compost‐based pellet mixtures. There is growing evidence that extruded pellets designed to deliver beneficial native microbes (Roman et al 2020; Dadzie et al 2022) or otherwise promote favorable microbiomes (Stock et al 2020) may prove to be beneficial in highly degraded lands (such as post‐mining soils and tailings) where nutrient profiles and native microbial communities are often damaged and seedling establishment and growth are below target levels (Muñoz‐Rojas et al 2016; Wu et al 2019; Koziol et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the efficacy of extruded seed pellets and microbial amendments for native revegetation

Alfonzetti

Tetu

Mills³

et al. 2023

Restoration Ecology

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Worldwide, there is a strong need for new, innovative, large‐scale approaches to restoring diverse native vegetation. Seed‐based revegetation, while often employed, can suffer from low plant establishment. Various seed coating technologies have been widely employed for decades to promote efficient agricultural planting; however, a significant obstacle to the implementation of this technology for native species revegetation is the limited access to the expertise and techniques which are mostly confidential to and specialized for the agrochemical industry. Here we investigated whether the seeds of Australian native species may benefit from extruded pelleting, measuring both seedling emergence and early growth, and testing the pellets with and without the addition of a commercial plant probiotic. A manipulative glasshouse experiment was carried out with three treatments (bare seeded; standard pellets; pellets amended with a probiotic) for four native plant species. Incorporation of seeds within standard pellets was shown to maintain high percentages of emergence and improve growth of three of the tested species (Daviesia ulicifolia, Hardenbergia violacea, and Indigofera australis) in the glasshouse setting, with increases in mean biomass of 83, 385, and 1,002%, respectively. However, emergence in the fourth species (Bursaria spinosa) was low in all seed treatments, perhaps due to excessive sowing depth (bare seeds), while combined with being encased inside a pellet. Relative to the standard pellets, probiotic amended pellets did not impart further detectable emergence or growth benefits. Ultimately, these results highlight exciting prospects for the application of extruded seed pellets in facilitating efficient use of seed in the revegetation of some native species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the efficacy of extruded seed pellets and microbial amendments for native revegetation

Alfonzetti

Tetu

Mills³

et al. 2023

Restoration Ecology

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“…Currently large parts of dry forests are threatened by desertification caused by unsustainable anthropogenic land exploitation ( Miles et al, 2006 ; Vieira et al, 2015 ). However, biocrusts have been proven to be useful tools for nature-based dryland restoration and to combat land degradation and desertification ( Dadzie et al, 2022 ; Maggioli et al, 2022 ). Their influence could become even more important, since dry forests will face dramatic changes and climate extremes, particularly an increase in drought stress for vascular plants ( Torres et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological soil crusts decrease infiltration but increase erosion resistance in a human-disturbed tropical dry forest

et al. 2023

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Under continuous human disturbance, regeneration is the basis for biodiversity persistence and ecosystem service provision. In tropical dry forests, edaphic ecosystem engineering by biological soil crusts (biocrusts) could impact regeneration by influencing erosion control and soil water and nutrient fluxes, which impact landscape hydrology, geomorphology, and ecosystem functioning. This study investigated the effect of cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts on water infiltration and aggregate stability in a human-modified landscape of the Caatinga dry forest (NE Brazil), a system characterized by high levels of forest degradation and increasing aridity. By trapping dust and swelling of cyanobacterial filaments, biocrusts can seal soil surfaces and slow down infiltration, which potentially induces erosion. To quantify hydraulic properties and erosion control, we used minidisc-infiltrometry, raindrop-simulation, and wet sieving at two sites with contrasting disturbance levels: an active cashew plantation and an abandoned field experiencing forest regeneration, both characterized by sandy soils. Under disturbance, biocrusts had a stronger negative impact on infiltration (reduction by 42% vs. 37% during regeneration), although biocrusts under regenerating conditions had the lowest absolute sorptivity (0.042 ± 0.02 cm s−1/2) and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (0.0015 ± 0.0008 cm s−1), with a doubled water repellency. Biocrusts provided high soil aggregate stability although stability increased considerably with progression of biocrust succession (raindrop simulation disturbed: 0.19 ± 0.22 J vs. regenerating: 0.54 ± 0.22 J). The formation of stable aggregates by early successional biocrusts on sandy soils suggests protection of dry forest soils even on the worst land use/soil degradation scenario with a high soil erosion risk. Our results confirm that biocrusts covering bare interspaces between vascular plants in human-modified landscapes play an important role in surface water availability and erosion control. Biocrusts have the potential to reduce land degradation, but their associated ecosystem services like erosion protection, can be impaired by disturbance. Considering an average biocrust coverage of 8.1% of the Caatinga landscapes, further research should aim to quantify the contribution of biocrusts to forest recovery to fully understand the role they play in the functioning of this poorly explored ecosystem.

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“…The plant species specific differences in response to microbial inoculums seen here are consistent with what has been reported previously. For example, Dadzie et al [ 68 ] found that the benefit of cyanobacteria or native heterotrophic bacteria on plant establishment from extruded pellets was species specific and the former inoculation resulted in a 11% reduction in growth of Triodia epactia (Poaceae) seedlings. Similarly, the application of commercially-available soil microbial amendments in semi-arid ecosystems has been shown have varying effects on plant fitness, possibly as a result of plant-microbiome physiological mismatching as well as issues of low persistence of consortium members [ 25 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing Effects of Microbial Biostimulants and Whole-Soil Inoculums for Native Plant Revegetation

Alfonzetti

Doleac

Mills³

et al. 2022

Microorganisms

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Soil microbes play important roles in plant health and ecosystem functioning, however, they can often be disturbed or depleted in degraded lands. During seed-based revegetation of such sites there is often very low germination and seedling establishment success, with recruitment of beneficial microbes to the rhizosphere one potential contributor to this problem. Here we investigated whether Australian native plant species may benefit from planting seed encapsulated within extruded seed pellets amended with one of two microbe-rich products: a commercial vermicast extract biostimulant or a whole-soil inoculum from a healthy reference site of native vegetation. Two manipulative glasshouse trials assessing the performance of two Australian native plant species (Acacia parramattensis and Indigofera australis) were carried out in both unmodified field-collected soil (trial 1) and in the same soil reduced in nutrients and microbes (trial 2). Seedling emergence and growth were compared between pelleted and bare-seeded controls and analyzed alongside soil nutrient concentrations and culturable microbial community assessments. The addition of microbial amendments maintained, but did not improve upon, high levels of emergence in both plant species relative to unamended pellets. In trial 1, mean time to emergence of Acacia parramattensis seedlings was slightly shorter in both amended pellet types relative to the standard pellets, and in trial 2, whole-soil inoculum pellets showed significantly improved growth metrics. This work shows that there is potential for microbial amendments to positively affect native plant emergence and growth, however exact effects are dependent on the type of amendment, the plant species, and the characteristics of the planting site soil.

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Native bacteria and cyanobacteria can influence seedling emergence and growth of native plants used in dryland restoration

Cited by 21 publications

References 59 publications

Assessing the efficacy of extruded seed pellets and microbial amendments for native revegetation

Assessing the efficacy of extruded seed pellets and microbial amendments for native revegetation

Biological soil crusts decrease infiltration but increase erosion resistance in a human-disturbed tropical dry forest

Characterizing Effects of Microbial Biostimulants and Whole-Soil Inoculums for Native Plant Revegetation

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