Soybean Roots and Soil From High- and Low-Yielding Field Sites Have Different Microbiome Composition

Advances in Soybean Genetic Improvement

The soybean (Glycine max) is a globally important crop due to its high protein and oil content, which serves as a key resource for human and animal nutrition, as well as bioenergy production. This review assesses recent advancements in soybean genetic improvement by conducting an extensive literature analysis focusing on enhancing resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, improving nutritional profiles, and optimizing yield. We also describe the progress in breeding techniques, including traditional approaches, marker-assisted selection, and biotechnological innovations such as genetic engineering and genome editing. The development of transgenic soybean cultivars through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and biolistic methods aims to introduce traits such as herbicide resistance, pest tolerance, and improved oil composition. However, challenges remain, particularly with respect to genotype recalcitrance to transformation, plant regeneration, and regulatory hurdles. In addition, we examined how wild soybean germplasm and polyploidy contribute to expanding genetic diversity as well as the influence of epigenetic processes and microbiome on stress tolerance. These genetic innovations are crucial for addressing the increasing global demand for soybeans, while mitigating the effects of climate change and environmental stressors. The integration of molecular breeding strategies with sustainable agricultural practices offers a pathway for developing more resilient and productive soybean varieties, thereby contributing to global food security and agricultural sustainability.

Deciphering the differences of bacterial communities between high- and low-productive wheat fields using high-throughput sequencing

Microbial communities have been demonstrated to be essential for healthy and productive soil ecosystems. However, an understanding of the relationship between soil microbial community and soil productivity levels is remarkably limited. In this study, bulk soil (BS), rhizosphere soil (RS), and root (R) samples from the historical high-productive (H) and low-productive (L) soil types of wheat in Hebei province of China were collected and analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. The study highlighted the richness, diversity, and structure of bacterial communities, along with the correlation networks among different bacterial genera. Significant differences in the bacterial community structure between samples of different soil types were observed. Compared with the low-productive soil type, the bacterial communities of samples from the high-productive soil type possessed high species richness, low species diversity, complex and stable networks, and a higher relative abundance of beneficial microbes, such as Pseudoxanthomonas, unclassified Vicinamibacteraceae, Lysobacter, Massilia, Pseudomonas, and Bacillus. Further analysis indicated that the differences were mainly driven by soil organic matter (SOM), available nitrogen (AN), and electrical conductivity (EC). Overall, the soil bacterial community is an important factor affecting soil health and crop production, which provides a theoretical basis for the targeted regulation of microbes in low-productivity soil types.

Analysis of rhizosphere fungal community of agricultural crops cultivated in laboratory experiments on Chernevaya taiga soil

Chernevaya taiga of Western Siberia, Russia, is a unique ecosystem characterized by fertile soil, exceptionally large herbaceous plant sizes, and extraordinarily rapid rates of plant residue degradation. We expected that growing crops on soil collected from Chernevaya taiga, which has never been used for agricultural purposes before, would result in a distinct rhizospheric fungal community. This community could potentially yield novel, potent biostimulators and biocontrol fungi for modern agriculture. To check this idea, we used high-throughput ITS sequencing to examine the microbial communities in the rhizosphere of spring wheat and radish grown in greenhouse experiments on Chernevaya and control soils. Additionally, representative fungal strains were isolated and assessed for their ability to promote growth in wheat seedlings. The study revealed that the most abundant phyla in the rhizospheric fungal community were Mortierellomycota, primarily consisting of Mortierella species, and Ascomycota. Mucor and Umbelopsis comprised the majority of Mucoromycota in the control soils. Fusarium and Oidiodendron, two potentially plant-pathogenic fungi, were only found in the rhizosphere of crops grown in the control soil. Conversely, Chernevaya soil contained a diverse range of potential biocontrol fungi for plants. Tested novel fungal isolates showed a stimulating effect on the development of wheat seedlings and positively affected their rate of biomass accumulation. The results of the study demonstrate that the soil of Chernevaya taiga do indeed contain fungi with prominent potential to stimulate agricultural plants growth.