1
|
Wang X, Whalley WR, Miller AJ, White PJ, Zhang F, Shen J. Sustainable Cropping Requires Adaptation to a Heterogeneous Rhizosphere. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 25:1194-1202. [PMID: 32830043 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Root-soil interactions in the rhizosphere are central to resource acquisition and crop production in agricultural systems. However, apart from studies in idealized experimental systems, rhizosphere processes in real agricultural soils in situ are largely uncharacterized. This limits the contribution of rhizosphere science to agriculture and the ongoing Green Revolution. Here, we argue that understanding plant responses to soil heterogeneity is key to understanding rhizosphere processes. We highlight rhizosphere sensing and root-induced soil modification in the context of heterogeneous soil structure, resource distribution, and root-soil interactions. A deeper understanding of the integrated and dynamic root-soil interactions in the heterogeneously structured rhizosphere could increase crop production and resource use efficiency towards sustainable agriculture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- Department of Plant Nutrition, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | | | | | - Philip J White
- Ecological Science Group, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK; National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Distinguished Scientist Fellowship Program, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fusuo Zhang
- Department of Plant Nutrition, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Jianbo Shen
- Department of Plant Nutrition, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ruiz SA, McKay Fletcher DM, Boghi A, Williams KA, Duncan SJ, Scotson CP, Petroselli C, Dias TGS, Chadwick DR, Jones DL, Roose T. Image-based quantification of soil microbial dead zones induced by nitrogen fertilization. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 727:138197. [PMID: 32498200 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Microbial communities in agricultural soils underpin many ecosystem services including the maintenance of soil structure, food production, water purification and carbon storage. However, the impact of fertilization on the health of microbial communities is not well understood. This study investigates the spatial and temporal dynamics of nitrogen (N) transport away from a fertilizer granule with pore scale resolution. Specifically, we examined how soil structure and moisture content influence fertilizer derived N movement through the soil pore network and the subsequent impact of on soil microbial communities. We develop a mathematical model to describe N transport and reactions in soil at the pore-scale. Using X-ray Computed Tomography scans, we reconstructed a microscale description of a soil-pore geometry as a computational mesh. Solving two-phase water/air model produced pore-scale water distributions at 15, 30 and 70% water-filled pore volume. The N-speciation model considered ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3-) and dissolved organic N (DON), and included N immobilization, ammonification and nitrification processes, as well as diffusion in soil solution. We simulated the dissolution of a fertilizer pellet and a pore scale N cycle at three different water saturations. To aid interpretation of the model results, microbial activity at a range of N concentrations was measured. The model showed that the diffusion and concentration of N in water films is critically dependent upon soil moisture and N species. We predict that the maximum NH4+ and NO3- concentrations in soil solution around the pellet under dry conditions are in the order of 1 × 103 and 1 × 104 mol m-3 respectively, and under wet conditions 2 × 102 and 1 × 103 mol m-3, respectively. Supporting experimental evidence suggests that these concentrations would be sufficient to reduce microbial activity in the short-term in the zone immediately around the fertilizer pellet (ranging from 0.9 to 3.8 mm), causing a major loss of soil biological functioning. This model demonstrates the importance of pore-scale processes in regulating N movement and their interactions with the soil microbiome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S A Ruiz
- Bioengineering Sciences Research Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - D M McKay Fletcher
- Bioengineering Sciences Research Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - A Boghi
- Bioengineering Sciences Research Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; Computational Science Ltd, 30a Bedford Place, Southampton SO15 2DG, UK
| | - K A Williams
- Bioengineering Sciences Research Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - S J Duncan
- Bioengineering Sciences Research Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - C P Scotson
- Bioengineering Sciences Research Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - C Petroselli
- Bioengineering Sciences Research Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - T G S Dias
- Bioengineering Sciences Research Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - D R Chadwick
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK; Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - D L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK; SoilsWest, UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - T Roose
- Bioengineering Sciences Research Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
| |
Collapse
|