Abstracts |
Plants release considerable quantities of carbon from their roots, in the form of numerous organic materials, including organic acids and sugars. These substrates have major effects on the chemistry, physics, and biology of the surrounding soil, which forms a distinct soil compartment, termed the ‘rhizosphere.’ The rhizosphere supports microbial communities which are less diverse but more abundant than the bulk soil. This microbiome interacts with the plant in a variety of ways and can be a major determinant of the health of plants. The rhizosphere microbiome plays a key role in promoting plant nutrition, with symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria in particular aiding uptake of plant growth limiting nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. However, a variety of pathogenic microbes also inhabit the rhizosphere causing disease. There is considerable interest in engineering the rhizosphere to promote beneficial functions, particularly to enhance the sustainable production of crop plants. |