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Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal

Prof. Dr. Christopher Rensing

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College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China

Microbe-Induced Abiotic Stress Alleviation in Plants

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closed (30 July 2024)

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30 September 2024

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Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to extend this special invitation for contributions to a forthcoming multidisciplinary topic on "Microbe-Induced Abiotic Stress Alleviation in Plants". This multidisciplinary topic aims to compile cutting-edge research and perspectives on the pivotal role of microbes in enhancing plant resilience to various abiotic stressors.

Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and heavy metal contamination continue to pose formidable challenges to global agriculture and food security. However, recent advancements in microbiology have shed light on the remarkable capacity of certain microorganisms to mitigate the adverse effects of these stresses on plant growth and productivity.

We invite original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that explore the diverse mechanisms underlying microbe-induced abiotic stress alleviation in plants. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

Elucidation of molecular and physiological mechanisms involved in plant-microbe interactions under stress conditions
Engineering microbial consortia for enhanced stress tolerance in crops
Application of microbe-based biostimulants and biofertilizers in sustainable agriculture
Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic approaches to unravel the microbial contributions to plant stress resilience
Field trials and practical applications of microbial interventions for stress management in agricultural systems

We encourage submissions that present novel insights, experimental findings, methodological advances, and interdisciplinary perspectives. Manuscripts will undergo rigorous peer review to ensure the publication of high-quality research.

Contributions to this multidisciplinary topic will provide valuable insights into harnessing the potential of microbial-mediated strategies for sustainable agriculture and crop improvement in the face of escalating environmental challenges.

We look forward to your participation in this exciting endeavor.

Prof. Dr. Ying Ma
Prof. Dr. Christopher Rensing
Topic Editors

Keywords

plant–microbe–soil interaction
abiotic stresses
plant-growth-promoting microorganisms
plant mineral nutrition
plant production systems

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Agriculture agriculture	3.3	4.9	2011	20.2 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Agronomy agronomy	3.3	6.2	2011	15.5 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Crops crops	-	-	2021	24.2 Days	CHF 1000	Submit
Microorganisms microorganisms	4.1	7.4	2013	13.4 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
Plants plants	4.0	6.5	2012	18.2 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
International Journal of Plant Biology ijpb	-	2.0	2010	19.2 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Soil Systems soilsystems	2.9	5.3	2017	32.6 Days	CHF 1800	Submit

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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12 pages, 3814 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Alteration of Photosynthetic and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Sugarcane Infected by Multiple Mosaic Viruses

by Intan Ria Neliana, Wardatus Soleha, Suherman, Nurmalasari Darsono, Rikno Harmoko, Widhi Dyah Sawitri and Bambang Sugiharto

Int. J. Plant Biol. 2024, 15(3), 757-768; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijpb15030055 - 8 Aug 2024

Viewed by 221

Abstract

Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), sugarcane streak mosaic virus (SCSMV), and sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV) are the causative pathogens of mosaic disease. This study aimed to identify mosaic virus infection and its impact on photosynthetic and antioxidant gene expression in eight commercial sugarcane cultivars grown on sugarcane plantations in East Java, Indonesia. The disease incidence and severity were observed in symptomatic leave samples, and then the virus was identified. A high incidence and severity of mosaic symptoms were observed in the PS881 and NX04 cultivars compared with the other cultivars. RT-PCR analysis detected SCSMV infection in all cultivars; double infections with SCSMV and SCMV in the PS881, PS882, and Cening cultivars; and triple infections with SCSMV, SCMV, and SrMV in the PS881 cultivar. Ascorbate peroxidase (Apx) expression was upregulated in all virus-infected cultivars and significantly increased in the triple-infected PS881 cultivar. However, catalase (Cat) expression was only slightly increased in the PS881 cultivar. The chlorophyll content was reduced, and the PsaA gene was downregulated in all cultivars. The expression of PsaA, RbcS, and Sps was significantly suppressed in the triple-infected PS881 cultivar. Moreover, the downregulation of both the RbcS and Pepc genes was concomitant with that of their protein levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Microbe-Induced Abiotic Stress Alleviation in Plants)

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Figure 1

Figure 1
Percentage of mosaic disease incidence (A) and severity (B) observed on the leaves of eight sugarcane cultivars grown in the field at four locations in East Java, Indonesia: Lumajang, Jember, Bondowoso, and Kediri. Full article ">Figure 2
RT-PCR analysis of mosaic virus coat protein genes and mosaic symptom pattern variations in field-grown sugarcane. RT-PCR was conducted with RNA isolated from infected leaves of eight sugarcane cultivars and using specific primers for SCSMV (A), SCMV (B), and SrMV (C). The image presents the RT-PCR products from five infected samples of each sugarcane cultivar among the 61 positive mosaic virus infection samples. M, 1 kb DNA ladder (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Massachusetts, USA); C: control, non-symptomatic sugarcane. Red asterisk indicates positive CP-SCMV DNA. (D) Variation of mosaic symptoms intensity in the leaves of sugarcane varieties infected by SCSMV (single), SCSMV-SCMV (double), and SCSMV-SCMV-SrMV (triple) compared to non-symptomatic healthy leaf (control). Full article ">Figure 3
Phylogenetic analysis of SCSMV (A), SCMV (B), and SrMV (C) based on the CP nucleotide sequences along with the neighbor-joining (NJ) method with 1000 bootstrap replicates. SCYLV: Sugarcane yellow leaf virus was selected as outgroup. Sequence clusters according to the geographical origin of the virus isolates, such as Thailand (KP987832.1) for SCSMV; USA (MT725538.1) and Germany (X98168.1) for SCMV; and Argentina (EU189037.1), USA (EF078962.1), and China (DQ227695.1) for SrMV. Full article ">Figure 4
Expression of Apx and Cat gene in response to mosaic virus infection in sugarcane leaves. Relative expression of the Apx gene under single infection (A) and the Cat and Apx genes under single, double, and triple infection (B). The expression of Cat and Apx in the control, single, double, and triple infection samples was determined using the PS881 sugarcane cultivar. β-tubulin was used as the reference gene. Values are reported as the means ± SD of three biological replicates. Asterisk (*) denotes statically significant differences at t-test: p ≤ 0.05. Full article ">Figure 5
Chlorophyll content and gene expression of photosynthetic-related in response to mosaic virus infection in sugarcane leaves. Total chlorophyll content (A) and PsaA expression (B) were determined in single-infection sugarcane leaves. Expression of the PsaA, RbcS, Pepc, and Sps genes (C) and levels of PEPC and Rubisco proteins (D) were determined in the control and single-, double-, and triple-infection PS881 leaves. Values represent the means ± SD of three biological replicates. Asterisk (*) denotes statically significant differences at t-test: p ≤ 0.05. Inset shows the PEPC and Rubisco large subunit (RbcL) and small subunit (RbcS) proteins detected by immunoblot analysis. C, S, D, and T represent the control and single, double, and triple infections, respectively. The intensities of the protein bands were quantitively expressed using ImageJ free software version 1.54h. Full article ">

17 pages, 2811 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating the Mechanism of Cadmium-Tolerant Bacterium Cellulosimicrobium and Ryegrass Combined Remediation of Cadmium-Contaminated Soil

by Jiaqi Li, Xiaoyang Xu, Lanping Song, Meng Na, Shangqi Xu, Jie Zhang, Yongjie Huang, Xiaoping Li, Xianqing Zheng and Jihai Zhou

Plants 2024, 13(12), 1657; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13121657 - 15 Jun 2024

Viewed by 767

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) pollution has been rapidly increasing due to the global rise in industries. Cd not only harms the ecological environment but also endangers human health through the food chain and drinking water. Therefore, the remediation of Cd-polluted soil is an imminent issue. In this work, ryegrass and a strain of Cd-tolerant bacterium were used to investigate the impact of inoculated bacteria on the physiology and biochemistry of ryegrass and the Cd enrichment of ryegrass in soil contaminated with different concentrations of Cd (4 and 20 mg/kg). The results showed that chlorophyll content increased by 24.7% and 41.0%, while peroxidase activity decreased by 56.7% and 3.9%. In addition, ascorbic acid content increased by 16.7% and 6.3%, whereas glutathione content decreased by 54.2% and 6.9%. The total Cd concentration in ryegrass increased by 21.5% and 10.3%, and the soil’s residual Cd decreased by 86.0% and 44.1%. Thus, the inoculation of Cd-tolerant bacteria can improve the antioxidant stress ability of ryegrass in Cd-contaminated soil and change the soil’s Cd form. As a result, the Cd enrichment in under-ground and above-ground parts of ryegrass, as well as the biomass of ryegrass, is increased, and the ability of ryegrass to remediate Cd-contaminated soil is significantly improved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Microbe-Induced Abiotic Stress Alleviation in Plants)

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Figure 1

Figure 1
Changes in biomass (A) and chlorophyll content (B) of Lolium perenne. Full article ">Figure 2
Changes in SOD (A) and POD (B) activity of ryegrass. Full article ">Figure 3
Changes in ASA (A) and GSH (B) content of ryegrass. Full article ">Figure 4
Changes in soil basal respiration (A), urease activities (B), sucrase activity (C), and dehydrogenase activity (D). Full article ">Figure 5
Cd Enrichment in Ryegrass. Full article ">Figure 6
Correlations between the accumulation amount of Cd, physiological characteristics of ryegrass, and soil enzyme activities. AGb—above-ground biomass, UGb—under-ground biomass, Chl—chlorophyll content, SOD—superoxide dismutase, POD—peroxidase, ASA—ascorbic acid, GSH—glutathione, BR—soil basal respiration, URE—soil urease, USC—soil sucrase, DEH—soil dehydrogenase, TBCd—tolerant bacteria, AGCd—the accumulation amount of Cd in above-ground, UGCd—the accumulation amount of Cd in under-ground, SOCd—soil Cd content. * indicates p ≤ 0.05, ** indicates p ≤ 0.01. Full article ">

17 pages, 3305 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antagonism and Synergism Characterize the Interactions between Four North American Potato Virus Y Strains

by Prakash M. Niraula, Patricia Baldrich, Junaid A. Cheema, Hashir A. Cheema, Dejah S. Gaiter, Blake C. Meyers and Vincent N. Fondong

Int. J. Plant Biol. 2024, 15(2), 412-428; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijpb15020032 - 21 May 2024

Viewed by 588

Abstract

Potato virus Y (PVY) is one of the most important constraints to potato production worldwide. There is an increasing occurrence of recombinant PVY strains PVY^NTN and PVY^N-Wi and a decline in the incidence of the nonrecombinant PVY^O. We hypothesized that this may be due to the ability of these recombinant strains to antagonize and/or outcompete PVY^O in mixed infections. To determine this, we investigated interactions between PVY^O and three recombinant PVY strains common in North America: PVY^NTN, PVY^N-Wi, and PVY^N:O. Overall, our study showed that these interactions are tissue-dependent. Specifically, PVY^NTN, the main causal agent of potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD), was found to be more adaptable than PVY^O, especially in potato leaves due, at least in part, to the Ny gene that confers hypersensitive resistance (HR) to PVY^O. Furthermore, PVY^N-Wi was found to repress PVY^O in potato tubers but act synergistically in potato leaves. The PVY^O-induced foliage necrosis in cultivar ‘Ranger Russet’ was observed to be more severe in plants co-infected by PVY^N-Wi and PVY^N:O, respectively, resulting in plant death. Strikingly, this PVY^O -induced necrosis was suppressed by PVY^NTN in doubly infected plants. These interactions may, at least partially, explain the decreasing incidence of PVY^O in United States potato production regions, especially given that many cultivars contain the Ny gene, which likely limits PVY^O enabling PVY^NTN and PVY^N-Wi to outcompete. We also found that replication and cell-to-cell movement of these PVY strains in tubers at 4 °C was similar to levels at ambient temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Microbe-Induced Abiotic Stress Alleviation in Plants)

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Figure 1

Figure 1
Interactions between PVY strains PVYO, PVYNTN, PVYN:O, and PVYN-Wi in potato cultivar ‘Ranger Russet’. Systemically infected leaves of plants inoculated with PVYO displayed severe local veinal necrosis at 10 dpi, while leaves of plants inoculated with PVYNTN, PVYN-Wi, and PVYN:O displayed necrotic spots (A). Leaves doubly infected with PVYN-Wi and PVYO, as well as with PVYN:O and PVYO, displayed severe necrosis leading leaf death (B). Full article ">Figure 2
RT-qPCR quantification of viral RNA in leaves of potato cultivar ‘Ranger Russet’ (A) and ‘Russet Norkotah’ (B) using strain-specific primers. Viral titers were determined at 7 dpi (a–d,i–l) and 30 dpi (e–h,m–p). Each experiment had three biological replicates and three technical replicates. Details of the approach used to determine relative levels of viral RNA are provided in Materials and Methods. Mean differences were determined using a t-test (* p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001). Full article ">Figure 3
Replication of four PVY strains, PVYO, PVYNTN, PVYN:O, and PVYN-Wi, in tubers of three potato varieties with different levels of resistance to PVY. Viral RNA levels were analyzed using RT-qPCR as described in Materials and Methods. PVYNTN, and PVYN-Wi to a lesser extent, were observed to replicate to higher levels in ‘Desiree’ and ‘Ranger Russet’ but not in Eva. Mean differences were determined using a t-test (* p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001). Full article ">Figure 4
Quantification of viral RNA in potato tubers at different times (hours) after inoculation. The inoculum was added to the central well using a 1 cm corkborer and samples collected at distances from the inoculum well using a 0.5 cm corkborer and samples collected from positions a, b, and c (A) at 6, 24, 48, and 96 h post-inoculation. Viral RNA levels were analyzed using RT-qPCR as described in Materials and Methods. Tubers infected by PVYNTN and PVYO displayed lower levels of viral RNA than tubers singly infected by either of the strains, as indicated by RT-qPCR analysis using strain-specific primers (B,C). Mean differences were determined using a t-test (* p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01). Full article ">Figure 5
Antagonism and synergistic interactions between PVY strains PVYO, PVYNTN, PVYN:O, and PVYN-Wi in potato tubers. PVY strains were singly and co-inoculated with (A) PVYN:O and PVYO; (B) PVYN-Wi and PVYO; (C) PVYN:O and PVYNTN; and (D) PVYN-Wi and PVYNTN, to determine the effect of mixed infection on replication, which was determined using RT-qPCR. Relative viral RNA levels were determined as described in Materials and Methods. PVYN-Wi was observed to repress PVYO and PVYNTN, but not PVYN:O, and the latter in turn represses PVYN-Wi as indicated by strain-specific primers. Mean differences were determined using a t-test (* p < 0.05). Full article ">Figure 6
Effect of temperature on tuber infectivity of PVYNTN (A) and PVYO (B). Tubers of ‘Desiree’, Eva, and ‘Ranger Russet’ were inoculated and incubated at 4 °C and 22 °C, respectively. Samples were collected 6 hpi, 24 hpi, and 48 hpi along the infection gradient from the periphery at ~22 mm from the inoculation well to ~1.5 cm. Viral RNA levels were quantified using RT-qPCR as described in Materials and Methods. Mean differences were determined using a t-test test (* p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001). Full article ">

14 pages, 2908 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Aboveground Epichloë Endophytic Fungi on the Rhizosphere Microbial Functions of the Host Melica transsilvanica

by Chuanzhe Wang, Chong Shi, Wei Huang, Mengmeng Zhang and Jiakun He

Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 956; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12050956 - 8 May 2024

Viewed by 759

Abstract

In nature, the symbiotic relationship between plants and microorganisms is crucial for ecosystem balance and plant growth. This study investigates the impact of Epichloë endophytic fungi, which are exclusively present aboveground, on the rhizosphere microbial functions of the host Melica transsilvanica. Using metagenomic methods, we analyzed the differences in microbial functional groups and functional genes in the rhizosphere soil between symbiotic (EI) and non-symbiotic (EF) plants. The results reveal that the presence of Epichloë altered the community structure of carbon and nitrogen cycling-related microbial populations in the host’s rhizosphere, significantly increasing the abundance of the genes (porA, porG, IDH1) involved in the rTCA cycle of the carbon fixation pathway, as well as the abundance of nxrAB genes related to nitrification in the nitrogen-cycling pathway. Furthermore, the presence of Epichloë reduces the enrichment of virulence factors in the host rhizosphere microbiome, while significantly increasing the accumulation of resistance genes against heavy metals such as Zn, Sb, and Pb. This study provides new insights into the interactions among endophytic fungi, host plants, and rhizosphere microorganisms, and offers potential applications for utilizing endophytic fungi resources to improve plant growth and soil health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Microbe-Induced Abiotic Stress Alleviation in Plants)

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Figure 1

Figure 1
Total abundance of gene sets in the three main pathways of the carbon cycle (A); different lowercase letters above the bars indicate significant differences, as determined by one-way ANOVA (p < 0.05) and the principal component analysis (PCA) of carbon cycle gene sets (B). Full article ">Figure 2
Intergroup variations in pathway gene sets for map00710 (A), map00680 (B), and map00720 (C) analysis. Full article ">Figure 3
Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis of functional class groups by map00710 (A), map00720 (B), and map00680 (C). Full article ">Figure 4
Variations in microorganisms’ lefse analyses in the routes map00710 (A), map00720 (B), and map00680 (C) (LDA > 2). Full article ">Figure 5
Principal component analysis (PCA) of the gene set associated with the nitrogen cycle (map00910) (A), differential gene abundance in major pathways (C), and the taxonomic origins of functional groups related to the nitrogen cycle (D) alongside a non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis (B). Full article ">Figure 6
Principal component analysis (PCA) of the gene set associated with phosphorus metabolism (A), and the variation in gene abundance within key pathways (B). Full article ">Figure 7
Variations in the rhizosphere microorganisms of EI and EF plants with respect to the virulence factor (A) and heavy metal resistance (B). Full article ">

13 pages, 2521 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria Influence Microbial Community Composition and Metabolic Function to Enhance the Efficiency of Hybrid pennisetum Remediation in Cadmium-Contaminated Soil

by Zhao-Jin Chen, Meng-Lu Li, Shan-Shan Gao, Yu-Bo Sun, Hui Han, Bai-Lian Li and Yu-Ying Li

Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 870; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12050870 - 26 Apr 2024

Viewed by 1054

Abstract

The green and efficient remediation of soil cadmium (Cd) is an urgent task, and plant-microbial joint remediation has become a research hotspot due to its advantages. High-throughput sequencing and metabolomics have technical advantages in analyzing the microbiological mechanism of plant growth-promoting bacteria in improving phytoremediation of soil heavy metal pollution. In this experiment, a pot trial was conducted to investigate the effects of inoculating the plant growth-promoting bacterium Enterobacter sp. VY on the growth and Cd remediation efficiency of the energy plant Hybrid pennisetum. The test strain VY-1 was analyzed using high-throughput sequencing and metabolomics to assess its effects on microbial community composition and metabolic function. The results demonstrated that Enterobacter sp. VY-1 effectively mitigated Cd stress on Hybrid pennisetum, resulting in increased plant biomass, Cd accumulation, and translocation factor, thereby enhancing phytoremediation efficiency. Analysis of soil physical-chemical properties revealed that strain VY-1 could increase soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, and available potassium content. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) indicated that strain VY-1 significantly influenced bacterial community composition, with Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, among others, being the main differential taxa. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that available phosphorus, available potassium, and pH were the primary factors affecting bacterial communities. Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) demonstrated that strain VY-1 modulated the metabolite profile of Hybrid pennisetum rhizosphere soil, with 27 differential metabolites showing significant differences, including 19 up-regulated and eight down-regulated expressions. These differentially expressed metabolites were primarily involved in metabolism and environmental information processing, encompassing pathways such as glutamine and glutamate metabolism, α-linolenic acid metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and purine metabolism. This study utilized 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and metabolomics technology to investigate the impact of the plant growth-promoting bacterium Enterobacter sp. VY-1 on the growth and Cd enrichment of Hybrid pennisetum, providing insights into the regulatory role of plant growth-promoting bacteria in microbial community structure and metabolic function, thereby improving the microbiological mechanisms of phytoremediation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Microbe-Induced Abiotic Stress Alleviation in Plants)

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Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Agriculture agriculture	3.3	4.9	2011	20.2 Days	CHF 2600
Agronomy agronomy	3.3	6.2	2011	15.5 Days	CHF 2600
Crops crops	-	-	2021	24.2 Days	CHF 1000
Microorganisms microorganisms	4.1	7.4	2013	13.4 Days	CHF 2700
Plants plants	4.0	6.5	2012	18.2 Days	CHF 2700
International Journal of Plant Biology ijpb	-	2.0	2010	19.2 Days	CHF 1200
Soil Systems soilsystems	2.9	5.3	2017	32.6 Days	CHF 1800

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