The Role of Symbiotic Microorganisms, Nutrient Uptake and Rhizosphere Bacterial Community in Response of Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Genotypes to Elevated Al Concentrations in Soil

Abstract

Aluminium being one of the most abundant elements is very toxic for plants causing inhibition of nutrient uptake and productivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of microbial consortium consisting of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), rhizobia and PGPR for counteracting negative effects of Al toxicity on four pea genotypes differing in Al tolerance. Pea plants were grown in acid soil supplemented with AlCl3 (pHKCl = 4.5) or neutralized with CaCO3 (pHKCl = 6.2). Inoculation increased shoot and/or seed biomass of plants grown in Al-supplemented soil. Nodule number and biomass were about twice on roots of Al-treated genotypes after inoculation. Inoculation decreased concentrations of water-soluble Al in the rhizosphere of all genotypes grown in Al-supplemented soil by about 30%, improved N2 fixation and uptake of fertilizer 15N and nutrients from soil, and increased concentrations of water-soluble nutrients in the rhizosphere. The structure of rhizospheric microbial communities varied to a greater extent depending on the plant genotype, as compared to soil conditions and inoculation. Thus, this study highlights the important role of symbiotic microorganisms and the plant genotype in complex interactions between the components of the soil-microorganism-plant continuum subjected to Al toxicity.

Effects of Phytohormone-Producing Rhizobacteria on Casparian Band Formation, Ion Homeostasis and Salt Tolerance of Durum Wheat

“…Concentrations of sodium, potassium and phosphorus in the roots and the 1st and 2nd mature leaves of wheat plants were assessed as previously described [ 30 ] using an ICPE-9000 inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan). For this purpose, plant samples were digested in a mixture of concentrated HNO 3 and 38% H 2 O 2 at 70 °C using a DigiBlock digester (LabTech, Sorisole, Italy).…”

Understanding plant microbiomes requires a genotype × environment framework

“…Studies with individual microbial taxa have demonstrated that these can promote growth and stress tolerance of plants (Lugtenberg and Kamilova, 2009) and influence pathogen and herbivore resistance (Pieterse et al, 2014;Hu et al, 2018). More recent studies with complex microbiomes have confirmed these effects: inoculation with diverse microbiota altered plant growth and physiology (Fitzpatrick et al, 2019;Belimov et al, 2020), phenology (Panke-Buisse et al, 2015), and pathogen resistance (Berendsen et al, 2018;Berg and Koskella, 2018), sometimes in a genotype-or environment-dependent fashion (Berg and Koskella, 2018;Belimov et al, 2020).…”

Influence of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria on the Formation of Apoplastic Barriers and Uptake of Water and Potassium by Wheat Plants

“…Concentrations of sodium, potassium and phosphorus in the roots and first and second mature leaves of wheat plants were assessed using an ICPE-9000 inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) [ 31 ]. For this purpose, plant samples were digested in a mixture of concentrated HNO 3 and 38% H 2 O 2 at 70 °C using a DigiBlock digester (LabTech, Sorisole, Italy).…”