Rice assembles microbial populations in rhizosphere from surrounding soils to promote plant growth under waterlogged anaerobic condition, but the spatio-temporal dynamics of microbiota in response to pesticide pollution might impact the resilience of rice grown in polluted soils. Taking a typical organochlorine pesticide, lindane, as an example, Feng et al. (pages 207219) demonstrated the assembly of root-associated microbiota of rice varied with soil type, rice growth time and rhizo-compartment; lindane pollution had less obvious influence on rice growth and soil microbial communities, but mostly stimulated the construction of root endosphere microbiota at the vegetative phase which was highly dynamic during rice growth. Active rice root-soil-microbe interactions induced a complicated soil-redox-coupled removal of lindane, leading to an inhibition effects for lindane removal at the later vegetative growth phase. This was likely due to the possible interruption to dechlorination favored anaerobic condition induced by rice root released oxygen, and thereby the co-occurring competitive electron-consuming redox processes in soils. This study provides detailed insight into the underground micro-ecological assembly process of root-associated microbiota of rice growing in soils polluted by pesticides such as organochlorines, and their potential linkage to the natural attenuation of residual organochlorine pesticides during rice vegetative growth phase. This is beneficial for an improved regulation of plant growth against environmental adversity, and thereby rice production in organochlorine pesticide polluted area.
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