Leymus chinensis Adapts to Degraded Soil Environments by Changing Metabolic Pathways and Root Exudate Components

Phytobial remediation advances and application of omics and artificial intelligence: a review

Industrialization and urbanization increased the use of chemicals in agriculture, vehicular emissions, etc., and spoiled all environmental sectors. It causes various problems among living beings at multiple levels and concentrations. Phytoremediation and microbial association are emerging as a potential method for removing heavy metals and other contaminants from soil. The treatment uses plant physiology and metabolism to remove or clean up various soil contaminants efficiently. In recent years, omics and artificial intelligence have been seen as powerful techniques for phytobial remediation. Recently, AI and modeling are used to analyze large data generated by omics technologies. Machine learning algorithms can be used to develop predictive models that can help guide the selection of the most appropriate plant and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria combination that is most effective at remediation. In this review, emphasis is given to the phytoremediation techniques being explored worldwide in soil contamination.

Leymus chinensis resists degraded soil stress by modulating root exudate components to attract beneficial microorganisms

Phytoremediation is an effective means to improve degraded soil nutrients and soil structure. Here, we investigated the remediation effects of Leymus chinensis on the physicochemical properties and structure of degraded soil after 3 years of cultivation and explored the bacterial and fungal drivers in root exudates by metabolomics and high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that root exudates increased soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and soil aggregates, and organic acids in root exudates reduced pH and activated insoluble nutrients into forms that are available to plants, such as available nitrogen (NH₄ ⁺-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO₃ ^--N), and available phosphorus (AP). The cultivation of L. chinensis restored the diversity and richness of soil microorganisms and recruited potential beneficial bacteria and fungi to resist degraded soil stress, and L. chinensis also regulated the abundances of organic acids, amino acids and fatty acids in root exudates to remediate degraded soils. Spearman correlation analysis indicated that glutaric acid, 3-hydroxybutyric acid and 4-methylcatechol in root exudates attracted Haliangium, Nitrospira and Mortierella to the rhizosphere and dispersed the relative abundance of the harmful microorganisms Fusicolla and Fusarium. Our results demonstrate that L. chinensis enhances soil fertility, improves soil structure, promotes microbial diversity and abundance, and recruits potentially beneficial microorganisms by modulating root exudate components.