The Rhizosphere

doi:10.1002/9780470995563.ch7

Cited by 6 publications

References 124 publications

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The Rhizosphere: Measuring the Zone of Interaction

Lettice

2019

Annual Plant Reviews Online

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The term ‘rhizosphere’ has historically been vaguely defined. In particular, the extent of the rhizosphere: the zone of interaction between root and soil has been difficult to measure or has been measured differently by workers depending on their discipline. This is to be expected given the range of possible interactions that occur at the root–soil interface and the varying effects of rhizodeposits on soil flora and fauna. This article outlines challenges to defining the spatial extent of the rhizosphere and demonstrates that it may not be possible to generalise about the extent of the rhizosphere across a range of different plants and measured based on a range of interactions. The case is made that the rhizosphere is typically more extensive than the few millimetres often described in the literature. In the case of a plant–nematode relationship presented here as a case study, the effect of root exudates (i.e. the rhizosphere effect) can be measured, at least, in centimetres rather than millimetres from the plant. Given the interest in utilising the rhizosphere and the rhizobiome for sustainable crop production, this article will clarify the terminology used and propose basic principles on how the spatial extent of the rhizosphere should be considered.

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