Rhizosphere最新文献

{"title":"Threshold-dependent metabolic and microbiome reprogramming triggered by mechanical root injury in Populus","authors":"Jinxiu Cai ,&nbsp;Ying Liu ,&nbsp;Shuwen Yang ,&nbsp;Yong Guo ,&nbsp;Ziyang Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101295","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101295","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mechanical injury is a widespread and ecologically relevant stress experienced by woody plants, yet the capacity of the root–microbiome interface to buffer such disturbance through metabolic regulation remains poorly quantified. Here, we conducted an in situ manipulative experiment with a root-severance gradient (0, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%; <span><math><mrow><mi>n</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>3</mn></mrow></math></span> biological replicates per level) on Populus trees in a semi-arid field environment to investigate the coupled responses of rhizosphere chemistry (rhizosphere soil metabolome) and the rhizosphere microbiome. After a 20-day post-severance equilibration period, we characterized rhizosphere metabolite profiles (untargeted LC–MS) and bacterial communities (16S rRNA sequencing) concurrently. Multi-omics integration revealed a non-linear trajectory in rhizosphere reorganization: metabolite composition exhibited a distinct threshold-like transition at approximately 75% root severance, shifting from growth-oriented metabolism to a defense-dominant state (e.g., accumulation of phenolics and isoflavonoids), thereby reshaping rhizosphere chemical niches. This metabolic reprogramming coincided with a synchronous reassembly of the bacterial community (Procrustes <span><math><msup><mrow><mi>m</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msup></math></span> = 0.63, <span><math><mrow><mi>P</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>006</mn></mrow></math></span>), characterized by a stepwise turnover from copiotrophs to stress-tolerant taxa, with a concomitant shift in dominant phyla (e.g., Acidobacteriota). Correlation network analysis further supported a “defense–recruitment” pattern, in which defense-associated specialized metabolites (e.g., terpenoid lactones and phenolics) emerged as topological hubs in co-occurrence networks, coinciding with selective enrichment of stress-tolerant bacterial taxa. Collectively, these findings uncover a threshold-controlled regulatory mode by which woody plant roots coordinate rhizosphere metabolic reprogramming and microbiome assembly in response to mechanical injury, highlighting a critical boundary at which rhizosphere chemical niches and microbial assembly shift states. These insights advance mechanistic understanding of root injury responses and provide a physiological basis for hypothesis-driven manipulation of rhizosphere processes in physically disturbed habitats.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48589,"journal":{"name":"Rhizosphere","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 101295"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147395935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The key predictive factors of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi community spatial distribution in saline-alkaline meadow soils: Abiotic variables or hosts?","authors":"Lin Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuqiang Wen ,&nbsp;Mengmeng Zhang ,&nbsp;Kun Li ,&nbsp;Ruotong Wu ,&nbsp;Ning Sun ,&nbsp;Fuqiang Song ,&nbsp;Tianle Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101266","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101266","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are vital plant symbionts in terrestrial ecosystems, yet their community distribution patterns and key drivers in extreme environments remain elusive. Focusing on the unique soda saline-alkaline meadows in the cold region of Northeast China, we established six sampling sites along a 500-km climatic gradient. By integrating traditional microscopic techniques with high-throughput sequencing, we systematically characterized the spatial distribution and drivers of soil AM fungal communities under severe saline-alkaline stress. Results indicated that under saline-alkaline stress, abiotic variables overrode host preferences to dominate community structuring. Specifically, high pH significantly suppressed root colonization and extraradical mycelial density, and significantly reduced soil AM fungal Shannon diversity. Nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) acted as a critical \"diversity filter,\" showing a significant negative correlation with species richness and phylogenetic diversity. Conversely, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and regional climate synergistically drove community composition divergence. Crucially, the lack of significant correlation between soil AM fungal and plant communities confirmed the primacy of abiotic filtering in these extreme habitats. Further analysis revealed divergent ecological strategies: Regional climate potentially regulated the abundance of the dominant genera <em>Glomus</em> and <em>Scutellospora</em>, whereas <em>Rhizophagus</em> was driven by local nutrient-rich micro-niches (SOC and ammonium nitrogen) and closely associated with plant productivity. This study identifies severe soil abiotic stress as the core driver shaping AM fungal spatial patterns in cold saline-alkaline meadows. These findings deepen our understanding of microbial distribution in stressed habitats and offer critical scientific insights for the restoration of fragile saline-alkaline ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48589,"journal":{"name":"Rhizosphere","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 101266"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plant species and altitudinal gradients jointly shape rhizosphere bacterial community structure in mountain ecosystems","authors":"Yixin Song ,&nbsp;Tian Zhang ,&nbsp;Maryamgul Yasen ,&nbsp;Mingyuan Li ,&nbsp;Jilian Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2025.101245","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2025.101245","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In mountainous systems, elevation gradients regulate soil properties and plant distribution. Rhizosphere bacteria are key mediators of soil-plant interactions, and their altitudinal variation and host association are core to deciphering the adaptation mechanisms of mountainous ecosystems. In our study, 16S amplicon sequencing was employed to analyze the rhizosphere soil bacterial community structures of different plant species along altitude gradients (1500–4000 m) on the eastern Pamir Plateau, China. The three plant species include <em>Cirsium japonicum</em>, <em>Phragmites australis</em>, and <em>Medicago sativa</em>. The results showed the richness and diversity of bacteria ranked in the order <em>M</em>. <em>sativa</em>, <em>P</em>. <em>australis</em>, <em>and C</em>. <em>japonicum</em>, and the response to altitude varied among plant species. Proteobacteria (34.2 %–41.5 %) and Actinobacteriota (22.8 %–28.6 %) were the dominant phyla, and the bacterial communities were sensitive to altitude changes. The functions of bacteria inferred from 16S data were dominated by metabolism (45.5 %–49.8 %) and genetic information processing (20.4 %–22.3 %), and also exhibited plant-altitude-specific differentiation. Only the bacterial diversity of <em>C</em>. <em>japonicum</em> and <em>P</em>. <em>australis</em> was correlated with soil nutrients, while no significant correlation was observed for <em>M</em>. <em>sativa</em>. Moreover, the correlation between bacterial functions and the rhizosphere bacteriota, as well as soil nutrients, varied among plant species. The metabolic functions were enhanced at 3500 m and 4000 m, and the genetic information processing function of <em>M</em>. <em>sativa</em> was prominent. The partial least squares path model further confirmed the unique altitude adaptation strategies of the three plant species. This study provides data support for deciphering the altitudinal adaptation mechanisms of alpine plant-microbe interactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48589,"journal":{"name":"Rhizosphere","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 101245"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145749555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wheat density drives negative density dependence in nitrogen uptake and root plasticity in wheat–weed communities","authors":"Li Zhang ,&nbsp;Weiqiang Liu ,&nbsp;Yizhong Rong ,&nbsp;Jiazhen Xi ,&nbsp;Lingfeng Mao ,&nbsp;Anna Gunina ,&nbsp;Zhen Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2025.101243","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2025.101243","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Adverse density-dependent effects on competition outcomes (e.g., fecundity) are stronger within species than between them, promoting species coexistence. However, empirical evidence on the resource competition process (e.g., nitrogen, N) and on how plant root traits and fertilization alter this process remains unclear. We conducted a response-surface design competition experiment involving wheat and weeds (<em>Avena fatua</em> L. or <em>Echinochloa crus-galli</em> (L.) P. Beauv., i.e., WB and WO pair) across densities (4, 8, 12, 16 individuals per pot) and proportions (wheat:weed 0:1, 0.25:0.75, 0.5:0.5, 0.75:0.25, 1:0), and fertilization treatment. After seven months, root morphology traits were measured and NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ uptake was studied using short-term ¹⁵N labeling. Without fertilization, high wheat density reduced wheat's root area (α_<em>ii</em> = −0.130 and −0.147 in WB and WO pairs) and length (−0.110; −0.120) while increasing specific root length (0.040; 0.062) and area (0.019; 0.035) to mitigate a reduction in NH₄⁺ (−0.142) than NO₃⁻ (−0.205). Weeds reduced root length and NH₄⁺ uptake. With fertilization, increasing wheat density decreased wheat and weed root length (α_<em>ii</em> = −0.117, α_<em>ij</em> = −0.238 in WB pair; α_<em>ii</em> = −0.117, α_<em>ij</em> = −0.181 in WO pair) and area (α_<em>ii</em> = −0.126, α_<em>ij</em> = −0.283; α_<em>ii</em> = −0.152, α_<em>ij</em> = −0.206), NH₄⁺ (α_<em>ii</em> = −0.281; α_<em>ij</em> = −0.224), and NO₃⁻ uptake (α_<em>ii</em> = −0.079; α_<em>ij</em> = −0.326). Weeds also increased specific root length (0.220 and 0.079) and area (0.054 in the WO pair). These N reduction and root plasticity were not observed with increased weed density, suggesting that maintaining weed presence did not reduce wheat's N uptake. Our research indicated that weed management strategies should consider density-dependent N competition and root plasticity within agricultural systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48589,"journal":{"name":"Rhizosphere","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 101243"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145749556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"25 years of cold storage decreases protein concentration but preserves other metabolite pools in spores of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus","authors":"Eduarda Lins Falcão ,&nbsp;Mohamed Hijri ,&nbsp;Fábio Sérgio Barbosa da Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101272","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101272","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Long-term cold storage of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) inocula can reduce spore infectivity and viability, yet the underlying biochemical causes remain poorly understood. We tested whether extended storage duration affects the metabolic profile of <em>Entrophospora etunicata</em> spores. Spores originating from an inoculum produced in 2000 (EE2000), using sand and vermiculite as substrate and millet as host, and stored under cold conditions for 25 years were compared with spores from an inoculum produced in 2023 under identical conditions and from the same starter culture (EE2023). Metabolite extraction from 200 spores was performed to spectrophotometrically quantify total triglycerides, proteins, flavonoids, soluble carbohydrates, phenolics, and antioxidant capacity. Means were compared using two-sample <em>t</em>-test (95% confidence). Protein concentration was 28% lower in EE2000 spores relative to EE2023 (<em>p</em>≤ 0.05), whereas triglycerides, flavonoids and antioxidant activity did not differ between storage periods. Total phenolics and soluble carbohydrates were below detection limits. The decline in protein content suggests storage-derived oxidative effect that may contribute to the reduced colonization potential and viability previously reported for long-stored AMF inocula. We conclude that more than two decades of cold storage negatively affect the protein metabolism in <em>E. etunicata</em> spores. This study provides the first evidence of negative effect of prolonged storage on protein content in AMF spores.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48589,"journal":{"name":"Rhizosphere","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 101272"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The regulatory role of different exudates on rhizosheath in Kengyilia hirsuta seedlings","authors":"Chen Chen ,&nbsp;Fang Liu ,&nbsp;Yuanhang Wang ,&nbsp;Siqi Yuan ,&nbsp;Yue Jia ,&nbsp;Hao Guan ,&nbsp;Hui Wang ,&nbsp;Bo Wei ,&nbsp;Youjun Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101281","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101281","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As an alpine plant species native to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, <em>Kengyilia hirsuta</em> plays a crucial ecological role in maintaining the structural and functional stability of the ecosystem. Its specialized rhizosheath structure markedly improves the efficiency of water and nutrient uptake, thereby conferring enhanced drought tolerance and resilience in nutrient-deficient environments. Through metabolomic analysis, three differentially accumulated metabolites (arabinose, erythrose, and maltotriose) and soybean lecithin were identified as exogenous additives to evaluate their regulatory effects on root development in <em>K. hirsuta</em>. This study reveals that erythrose, maltotriose, and soybean lecithin induced an 18–23 % reduction in xylem vessel diameter, while the cortex-stele ratio remained stable. Notably, maltotriose treatment increased the total length of root by 34 % and elevated phytohormone levels (indole-3-acetic acid +27 %; cytokinins +19 %), yet exhibited no stimulatory effect on root hair proliferation. Intriguingly, all treatments resulted in thicker endodermal Casparian strips (1.4-2.1 × controls), suggesting reinforced ion selective filtration. Periodate-Schiff staining unveiled unique granular polysaccharide deposition patterns in root cell walls, indicative of specialized carbohydrate metabolism. Crucially, maltotriose treatment increased rhizosheath biomass by 41 % and soil adhesion capacity by 29 %, directly linking carbohydrate exudation to rhizosheath-mediated environmental adaptation. Our results demonstrate that specific sugars and phospholipids act as metabolic switches coordinating xylem remodeling and soil binding, with maltotriose emerging as a central regulator of <em>K. hirsuta</em>'s root architectural plasticity and ecological competitiveness in desertified grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48589,"journal":{"name":"Rhizosphere","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 101281"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil rejuvenation influences crop specific selective enrichment of rhizospheric microbiome","authors":"Prabhakar D. Pandit ,&nbsp;Rajesh Pal ,&nbsp;Rahul Warke ,&nbsp;Hemant J. Purohit ,&nbsp;Gangadhar M. Warke","doi":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101285","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101285","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The prominence of organic inputs is increased in climate-smart, sustainable agricultural systems to address soil deterioration as an alternative to inorganic and chemical inputs. This study analyses the effect of the application of soil rejuvenator HPP-P3 (SR-HPP-P3), a biostimulant on soil rhizospheric microbiome in soybean, cotton, pigeon pea, and turmeric crops at field level. We hypothesize that application of SR-HPP-P3 influences a crop-specific reorganization of the rhizospheric microbiome through improved functional activity leading to increase in crop yield. By drenching, the three doses of SR-HPP-P3 were applied after sowing of all four crops, with only the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), and without SR-HPP-P3 application as the control. The trial showed an increase in yield in all crops which was associated with application of SR-HPP-P3. The yield increase of 57 %, 39 %, 21 % and 20 % was observed in case of soybean, cotton, pigeon pea and turmeric crop respectively as compared with control. Soil metagenome DNA sequence analysis demonstrated the crop-specific rhizospheric microbiome, which was coincided with enhanced plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) after drenching treatment. We supported the observations of metagenome analysis with the rhizospheric soil's physiological functional analysis for nutrient availability. 18 % increase in nitrogen fixing colony-Forming units CFU count was observed in case of cotton crop soil. The highest P and K solubilization index (3.3 and 2.6 respectively) was observed in soybean crop soil, whereas highest IAA production (27.2 μg/g soil) was also associated with soybean crop soil. Thus enhanced crop yield was correlated with rhizospheric bacterial community reshaping, with an increase in bacterial species richness. Thus the preliminary study proposes that soil rejuvenation through SR-HPP-P3 facilitates richness in the microbial community with an increase in crop yield, wherein metagenome analysis data suggest it's due to crop-specific enrichment of rhizospheric community.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48589,"journal":{"name":"Rhizosphere","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 101285"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The extracellular polymeric substances and plants drive soil structural reinforcement and water retention in ground fissures","authors":"Haining Yu ,&nbsp;Yinli Bi ,&nbsp;Kaiwei Xu ,&nbsp;Suping Peng ,&nbsp;Yang Zhou ,&nbsp;Yinchu Qiao","doi":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101263","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101263","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Underground mining in arid and semi-arid regions of western China has resulted in the widespread formation of ground fissures, leading to soil structure degradation and water loss, which severely constrain vegetation restoration. Although extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have shown great potential in soil improvement, the effectiveness under strongly disturbed fissure conditions and the synergistic effects with plants remain poorly understood. This study investigated the individual and synergistic effects of EPS and plants on soil structure and water retention capacity in areas affected by ground fissures, aiming to provide a theoretical foundation for ecological restoration in mining-impacted areas. A soil column simulation experiment was conducted under four treatments: untreated control (CK), EPS sprayed on the surface of fissure areas (EPS), plants grown near fissures (PL), and combined EPS application and plant treatment (PE). The stability of plant growth parameters, soil water content, soil aggregates, and pore structure were systematically analyzed. The results showed that EPS significantly promoted both aboveground and belowground biomass accumulation and root development. Compared with the PL treatment, the PE treatment increased root length, number of root tips, root projection area, root volume, and root surface area by 28.3 %, 114.3 %, 16.5 %, 126.9 %, and 22.9 %, respectively. The synergistic effects between EPS and roots significantly enhanced the shear strength and cohesion of the root-soil composite, increasing the shear strength by 18.0 % at 400 kPa confining pressure compared to the CK treatment. Both EPS and plants reduced soil water loss in fissure areas, with the PE treatment showing the highest water retention capacity. Furthermore, EPS and plants jointly improved soil structure by increasing the proportion of large macroaggregates (LMA) and enhancing pore connectivity. Relative to CK, the proportion of LMA increased by 26.5 %, 18.1 %, and 37.2 % under EPS, PL, and PE treatments, respectively. These findings demonstrate that EPS, by promoting plant growth and forming stable root-soil composite, substantially enhances soil water retention capacity and mechanical stability, providing a scientific basis for ecological restoration in fissure areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48589,"journal":{"name":"Rhizosphere","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 101263"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rhizosphere reprogramming for PAH detoxification: Microbial phytoremediation and engineering strategies","authors":"Shumaila Parveen ,&nbsp;Zaryab Shafi ,&nbsp;Waquar Akhter Ansari ,&nbsp;Talat Ilyas ,&nbsp;Mohammad Shahid ,&nbsp;Sajad Ali","doi":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101270","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are major constraints in soil pollution owing to their long-term persistence, limited bioavailability and toxicity. This review explores microbe - meditated rhizosphere engineering to enhance PAH phytoremediation, emphasizing rhizobacterial degradation and molecular engineering. Microbial based remediation and rhizosphere engineering are one of the prime and sustainable approaches for effective PAH remediation however, it may require integrated rather than standalone approaches. Plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria can facilitate PAH transformation through oxygenase-driven catabolic pathways, biofilm formation, and root stress modulation via ACC deaminase and phytohormone signaling. Advances in genetic engineering, CRISPR-based editing, and synthetic microbial consortia enable precise enhancement of catabolic functions and stability in complex soils. Omics-enabled analyses reveal microbial interactions, metabolic fluxes, and regulatory networks driving rhizosphere PAH turnover, guiding rational system design. Integrative strategies incorporating biochar, nanomaterials, and engineered consortia enhance contaminant bioavailability and degradation efficiency. Collectively, these advances establish rhizosphere engineering as a scalable framework for PAH phytoremediation under field conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48589,"journal":{"name":"Rhizosphere","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 101270"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bacillus velezensis synergizes with coal gangue to enhance Medicago sativa growth: Insights into nutrient cycling and soil fertility enhancement","authors":"Yaya Wang ,&nbsp;Mingwu Liu ,&nbsp;Zijie Xi ,&nbsp;Kuanysh T. Tastambek ,&nbsp;Meili Du ,&nbsp;Xiangrong Liu ,&nbsp;Xuan Xie ,&nbsp;Ru Zhang ,&nbsp;Nuraly S. Akimbekov","doi":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101289","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rhisph.2026.101289","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accumulation of coal gangue generates substantial risks to both the environment and public health, highlighting the need for effective and sustainable remediation approaches. This study demonstrates that microbial-assisted utilization through <em>Bacillus velezensis</em> (<em>B. velezensis</em>) synergizes with coal gangue, significantly enhancing the growth and germination rate of <em>Medicago sativa</em> (alfalfa). Detailed analysis revealed that this co-treatment notably improved soil fertility by increasing levels of organic matter, dissolved organic carbon, humic-like substances, and key nutrients, including total nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Additionally, soil enzymatic activities, including urease, amylase, laccase, protease, phosphatase, and 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylate deaminase, were elevated, along with the production of indole-3-acetic acid. Microbial analysis showed that the addition of <em>B. velezensis</em> enhanced operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness and significantly increased <em>Bacillus</em> abundance. Metagenomic and qPCR analysis further revealed the expression of key functional genes, including <em>trpCDE</em> (IAA biosynthesis), <em>nifK</em> (nitrogen fixation), <em>KdpAB</em> (potassium transport), and <em>phnCD</em> (phosphorus cycling). This genetic reprogramming enhanced nutrient cycling while amplifying phytohormonal and enzymatic pathways. Overall, this study presents a promising strategy for the sustainable utilization of coal gangue, contributing to soil fertility enhancement and advancing circular economy solutions for coal-mining regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48589,"journal":{"name":"Rhizosphere","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 101289"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}