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The study examines the performance of different organic phosphate and nitrogen fertilisation methods in organic farming.

Biostimulants (Bio-effectors, BEs) comprise plant growth-promoting microorganisms and active natural substances that promote plant nutrient-acquisition, stress resilience, growth, crop quality and yield. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of BEs, particularly under field conditions, appears highly variable and poorly quantified. Using random model meta-analyses tools, we summarize the effects of 107 BE treatments on the performance of major crops, mainly conducted within the EU-funded project BIOFECTOR with a focus on phosphorus (P) nutrition, over five years. Our analyses comprised 94 controlled pot and 47 field experiments under different geoclimatic conditions, with variable stress levels across European countries and Israel. The results show an average growth/yield increase by 9.3% (n=945), with substantial differences between crops (tomato > maize > wheat) and growth conditions (controlled nursery + field (Seed germination and nursery under controlled conditions and young plants transplanted to the field) > controlled > field). Average crop growth responses were independent of BE type, P fertilizer type, soil pH and plant-available soil P (water-P, Olsen-P or Calcium acetate lactate-P). BE effectiveness profited from manure and other organic fertilizers, increasing soil pH and presence of abiotic stresses (cold, drought/heat or salinity). Systematic meta-studies based on published literature commonly face the inherent problem of publication bias where the most suspected form is the selective publication of statistically significant results. In this meta-analysis, however, the results obtained from all experiments within the project are included. Therefore, it is free of publication bias. In contrast to reviews of published literature, our unique study design is based on a common standardized protocol which applies to all experiments conducted within the project to reduce sources of variability. Based on data of crop growth, yield and P acquisition, we conclude th

Für die Nahrungsmittelproduktion ist ein gesunder Boden elementar. Der Vortrag behandelt das Potential, Limitationen und Alternativen eienr mikrobiellen Inokulation.

Biostimulants (Bio-effectors, BEs) comprise plant growth-promoting microorganisms and active natural substances that promote plant nutrient-acquisition, stress resilience, growth, crop quality and yield. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of BEs, particularly under field conditions, appears highly variable and poorly quantified. Using random model meta-analyses tools, we summarize the effects of 107 BE treatments on the performance of major crops, mainly conducted within the EU-funded project BIOFECTOR with a focus on phosphorus (P) nutrition, over five years. Our analyses comprised 94 controlled pot and 47 field experiments under different geoclimatic conditions, with variable stress levels across European countries and Israel. The results show an average growth/yield increase by 9.3% (n=945), with substantial differences between crops (tomato > maize > wheat) and growth conditions (controlled nursery + field (Seed germination and nursery under controlled conditions and young plants transplanted to the field) > controlled > field). Average crop growth responses were independent of BE type, P fertilizer type, soil pH and plant-available soil P (water-P, Olsen-P or Calcium acetate lactate-P). BE effectiveness profited from manure and other organic fertilizers, increasing soil pH and presence of abiotic stresses (cold, drought/heat or salinity). Systematic meta-studies based on published literature commonly face the inherent problem of publication bias where the most suspected form is the selective publication of statistically significant results. In this meta-analysis, however, the results obtained from all experiments within the project are included. Therefore, it is free of publication bias. In contrast to reviews of published literature, our unique study design is based on a common standardized protocol which applies to all experiments conducted within the project to reduce sources of variability. Based on data of crop growth, yield and P acquisition, we

Mikrobielle und pflanzliche Biostimulanzien zur Verbesserung der Pflanzenernährung gewinnen zunehmend an Bedeutung. Eine aktuelle FiBLStudie hat die Wirksamkeit von fünf Präparaten untersucht.

A field study was carried out for two years at an organic farm under arid climate in Morocco to investigate the effect of an integrated biofertilization approach on Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal (AMF) abundance and infectivity, soil fertility, yield, and fruit quality of date palm. The biofertilization approach included three management practices namely application of compost, inoculation with a consortium of native PGPR strains originally isolated from date palms of Drâa-Tafilalet region (Pseudomonas koreensis, Serratia nematodiphila, S. marcescens, and Klebsiella sp.) and using mixed-cropping with sorghum. Accordingly, four treatments were established in this study: 1) mixed-cropping with sorghum, 2) PGPR inoculation, 3) sorghum + PGPR, and 4) control (without sorghum or PGPR). All treatments received compost as organic amendment. Results revealed that mixed-cropping with sorghum significantly increased AMF colonization intensity and spore density by more than 50% and 29%, respectively. Sorghum association also resulted in a significant increase in organic matter concentrations of up to 2.95% against 2.45% in monocropping soils. The integrated biofertilization approach resulted in the highest yield with an increase rate of 10.6% and 12.1% in the first and the second year, respectively compared to date palms receiving compost alone. Similarly, the mineral composition and quality characteristics of date fruits were significantly improved. The enhancement of soil fertility and date palm productivity under harsh environmental conditions represents a first step towards the adoption of sustainable practices in the region and in similar areas.

Winter wheat is an important cereal consumed worldwide. However, current management practices involving chemical fertilizers, irrigation, and intensive tillage may have negative impacts on the environment. Conservation agriculture is often presented as a sustainable alternative to maintain wheat production, favoring the beneficial microbiome. Here, we evaluated the impact of different water regimes (rainfed and irrigated), fertilization levels (half and full fertilization), and tillage practices (occasional tillage and no-tillage) on wheat performance, microbial activity, and rhizosphere- and root-associated microbial communities of four winter wheat genotypes (Antequera, Allez-y, Apache, and Cellule) grown in a field experiment. Wheat performance (i.e., yield, plant nitrogen concentrations, and total nitrogen uptake) was mainly affected by irrigation, fertilization, and genotype, whereas microbial activity (i.e., protease and alkaline phosphatase activities) was affected by irrigation. Amplicon sequencing data revealed that habitat (rhizosphere vs. root) was the main factor shaping microbial communities and confirmed that the selection of endophytic microbial communities takes place thanks to specific plant–microbiome interactions. Among the experimental factors applied, the interaction of irrigation and tillage influenced rhizosphere- and root-associated microbiomes. The findings presented in this work make it possible to link agricultural practices to microbial communities, paving the way for better monitoring of these microorganisms in the context of agroecosystem sustainability.

The use of plant biostimulants, also known as bioeffectors (BEs), has attracted increasing attention as an environmentally friendly strategy for more sustainable crop production. BEs are substances or microorganisms that are applied to plants or the surrounding soil to stimulate natural processes to enhance nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, and plant growth. Here, we tested the effectiveness of five BEs to enhance maize growth and phosphorus (P) uptake from various recycled P fertilizers in a series of pot and field experiments. First, the impact of two bacterial BEs and one soil-specific plant-based BE on crop performance was assessed in a 4-week screening experiment conducted in two arable, P-deficient soils of differing soil pH (a silty clay loam of pH 7.1 and a silty loam of pH 7.8) amended with recycled P-fertilizers (rock phosphate, biogas digestate, green waste compost, composted dairy manure, and chicken manure pellets). Then, for each soil type, the plant growth-promoting effect of the most promising BE-fertilizer combinations was re-assessed in an 8-week experiment. In addition, over a period of up to 3 years, three field experiments were conducted with maize in which up to two bacterial BEs were used either alone or in combination with a plant-based BE. Our experiments show that while BEs in combination with specific P-fertilizers can promote maize growth within the first weeks of growth under controlled conditions, the observed effects vanished in the long term, both in pots and under field conditions. In a tracing experiment, in which we tested the persistence of one bacterial BE over a period of 5 weeks, we observed a drastic decrease in colony-forming units already 2 weeks after inoculation. As previously shown in other studies, our data indicate that the plant growth-promoting effects of BEs found under controlled conditions are not directly transferable to field conditions. It is suggested that the drastic decline in inoculated bacterial strains in

IOFAIR holistically determines soil biodiversity under different farming practices and environmental stressors to anticipate negative impacts of climate change on belowground processes and provide adaptation strategies. The BIOFAIR project comprehensively addresses the diversity of soil organisms, from microbes to mites, and how they link to soil functioning in terms of disease suppression and carbon and nutrient cycling. On the crop site, a specific focus is given to grain quality parameters such as vitamin and mineral nutrient contents essential for many human body functions, and to technological bread making properties such as flour viscosity, to ensure the crops of the future have a high nutritious value and are suitable for food production.

Problem: Conventional methods to quantify arbuscular myc- orrhizal fungal (AMF) colonization include microsco- py, which involves staining of the roots and metic- ulous observation. This method is time consuming and subjective because it depends on the observer’s level of expertise. Solution: The use of broad range qPCR primers was validated to quantify AMF root colonization in different crops. This high-throughput and reliable technique is ver- satile and suitable for a wide range of research pro- jects.

Time travelling with Triticum: An Ecotron experiment to study the wheat of the future

Inhalt - Bedeutung des Bodens und der Resilienz in der Bodenfruchtbarkeit - Faktoren, die die Bodenresilienz beeinflussen - Praktiken zur Förderung der Bodenresilienz - Fallbeispiel Biolandbau

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been frequently reported as effective tools for alleviating environmental stresses and promoting plant growth and yield. In this study, we aimed to isolate, culture, and identify molecular and morphological AMF species associated with date palms and spontaneous plants present at eight sites in the arid agroecosystem of the Drˆaa-Tafilalet oasis of Morocco. We tested the capacity of AMF to colonize micropropagated date palm seedlings at their first acclimatization stage. Soil and root samples were collected to propagate indigenous AMF strains using trap culture techniques under greenhouse conditions and, at the same time, their root colonization potential was evaluated. We used freshly propagated spores to establish a collection of single spore-derived cultures. Morphological, microscopic, and molecular approaches were adopted to quantify AMF communities in the roots and rhizosphere and identify the recovered AMF species present at the eight sites. In an inoculation experiment, a micropropagated date palm was inoculated with a consortium of four cultured AMF strains, alone or in combination with synthetic fertilizer or compost. Our results showed that after two cycles of trap culturing, the frequency and intensity of AMF colonizing host plant roots significantly increased, exceeding 91% and 50%, respectively. Using three trap plant species and favorable growing conditions helped increase root colonization rates and AMF proliferation. AMF propagation resulted in the cultivation of 13 AMF strains. Molecular and morphological analyses revealed six different AMF species within our cultures: Pervetustus simplex, Claroideoglomus etunicatum, Albahypha drummondii, Septoglomus xanthium, Funneliformis mosseae, and Rhizoglomus irregulare. Results of the inoculation experiment revealed that root colonization was higher in treatments augmented with synthetic fertilizers than those supplemented with compost with 84.4% as against 46.7% and 26

The vegetation in the Arabian Peninsula experiences drought, heat, soil salinity, and low fertility, mainly due to low phosphorus (P) availability. The beneficial mycorrhizal symbiosis between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is a key factor supporting plant growth under such environmental conditions. Therefore, AMF strains isolated from these soils might be useful as biotechnological tools for agriculture and revegetation practices in the region. Here we present a pioneering program to isolate, identify, and apply AMF isolated from rhizosphere soils of agricultural and natural habitats, namely date palm plantations and five native desert plants, respectively in the Southern Arabian Peninsula. We established taxonomically unique AMF species as single-spore cultures as part of an expanding collection of AMF strains adapted to arid ecosystems. Preliminary experiments were conducted to evaluate the abilities of these AMF strains to promote seedling growth of a main crop Phoenix dactylifera L. and a common plant Prosopis cineraria L. (Druce) in the Arabian Peninsula. The results showed that inoculation with certain AMF species enhanced the growth of both plants, highlighting the potential of these fungi as part of sustainable land use practices in this region.

As a result of phylogenomic, phylogenetic, and morphological analyses of members of the genus Claroideoglomus, four potential new glomoid spore-producing species and Entrophospora infrequens, a new order, Entrophosporales, with one family, Entrophosporaceae (=Claroideoglomeraceae), was erected in the phylum Glomeromycota. The phylogenomic analyses recovered the Entrophosporales as sister to a clade formed by Diversisporales and Glomeraceae. The strongly conserved entrophosporoid morph of E. infrequens, provided with a newly designated epitype, was shown to represent a group of cryptic species with the potential to produce different glomoid morphs. Of the four potential new species, three enriched the Entrophosporales as new Entrophospora species, E. argentinensis, E. glacialis, and E. furrazolae, which originated from Argentina, Sweden, Oman, and Poland. The fourth fungus appeared to be a glomoid morph of the E. infrequens epitype. The physical association of the E. infrequens entrophosporoid and glomoid morphs was reported and illustrated here for the first time. The phylogenetic analyses, using nuc rDNA and rpb1 concatenated sequences, confirmed the previous conclusion that the genus Albahypha in the family Entrophosporaceae sensu Oehl et al. is an unsupported taxon. Finally, the descriptions of the Glomerales, Entrophosporaceae, and Entrophospora were emended and new nomenclatural combinations were introduced.

Step-by-step guide in visualising mycorrhizal fungi in roots. Why should you visualize them? - To study the mycorrhizal status of plant roots - To assess the efficiency of crop cultivars to form AMF symbiosis - To investigate biotic/abiotic factors affecting the root colonization potential of AMF This training material is aimed at researchers in crop science and sustainable agriculture.

Method to quantify arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) in plant roots.

L’utilisation d’additifs organiques, de métabolites naturels actifs ou de micro-organismes utiles fait l’objet de discussions en tant que stratégie écologique pour une production végétale plus durable. On observe dans le monde entier un intéret croissant pour les inoculants microbiens et l’utilisation ciblée de leurs interactions avec les plantes. Cette fiche résume les dernieres avancées de la recherche en la matiere.