OPPORTUNITIES AND APPROACHES FOR MANIPULATING SOIL-PLANT MICROBIOMES FOR EFFECTIVE CROP NITROGEN USE IN AGROECOSYSTEMS

Highlights

● Matching nitrification inhibitors with soil properties and nitrifiers is vital to achieve a higher NUE.

● Enhancing BNF, DNRA and microbial N immobilization processes via soil amendments can greatly contribute to less chemical N fertilizer input.

● Plant-associated microbiomes are critical for plant nutrient uptake, growth and fitness.

● Coevolutionary trophic relationships among soil biota need to be considered for improving crop NUE.

Abstract

Soil microbiomes drive the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and regulate soil N supply and loss, thus, pivotal nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Meanwhile, there is an increasing awareness that plant associated microbiomes and soil food web interactions is vital for modulating crop productivity and N uptake. The rapid advances in modern omics-based techniques and biotechnologies make it possible to manipulate soil-plant microbiomes for improving NUE and reducing N environmental impacts. This paper summarizes current progress in research on regulating soil microbial N cycle processes for NUE improvement, plant-microbe interactions benefiting plant N uptake, and the importance of soil microbiomes in promoting soil health and crop productivity. We also proposes a potential holistic (rhizosphere-root-phyllosphere) microbe-based approach to improve NUE and reduce dependence on mineral N fertilizer in agroecosystems, toward nature-based solution for nutrient management in intensive cropping systems.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

nitrogen / microbiome / NUE / rhizosphere / phyllosphere / soil food web

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA28020101), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFD1900100), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51108439 and 42007032), the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing, China (cstc2014jcyjA20010), and the 2115 Talent Development Program of China Agricultural University.

Compliance with ethics guidelines

Jingjing Peng, Olatunde Oladele, Xiaotong Song, Xiaotang Ju, Zhongjun Jia, Hangwei Hu, Xuejun Liu, Shuikuan Bei, Anhui Ge, Limei Zhang, and Zhenling Cui declare that they have no conflicts of interest or financial conflicts to disclose. This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

The Author(s) 2022. Published by Higher Education Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)