The role of sulfur on the availability of Cu and the bacterial community in rice rhizospheres was investigated by pot experiments. With sulfur addition, pH in rhizosphere soil decreased and Mg(NO₃)₂ extractable Cu increased significantly. The bacterial community composition also changed with sulfur addition. Some specific clones having high similarity to Thiobacillus, which indicated that sulfu...

Soil acidity is a major constraint on plant productivity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi support plant colonization in acidic soil, but soil acidity also constrains fungal growth and diversity. Fungi in extreme environments generally evolve towards specialists, suggesting that AM fungi in acidic soil are acidic-soil specialists. In our previous surveys, however, some AM fungi detected in str...

The present study was mainly conducted to investigate the survey of arbuscular mycorrhizal biodiversity in rhizosphere soil and root colonization of medicinal plant species in Sirumalai hills, Eastern Ghats of Dindugul district, Tamilnadu. Soil samples were collected during the month of September 2014 from the surface to 30 cm depth and pH was measured. Rhizosphere soil root of 20 plant species...

Metal hyperaccumulator plants like Thlaspi caerulescens J. & C. Presl. are used for phytoremediation of contaminated soils. Since little is known about the rhizosphere of hyperaccumulators, the influence of T. caerulescens was compared with the effects of Trifolium pratense L. on soil microbes. High- and low-metal soils were collected near a zinc smelter in Palmerton, Penn. Soil pH was adjusted...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS In China, excessive fertilization has resulted in phosphorus (P) accumulation in most greenhouse soils. Intercropping can improve the efficiency of nutrient utilization in crop production. In this study, pot experiments were performed to investigate the effects of intercropping with potato onion (Allium cepa L. var. aggregatum G. Don) on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seed...

Interspecific facilitation on phosphorus uptake was observed in faba bean/maize intercropping systems in previous studies. The mechanism behind this, however, remained unknown. Under nitrate supply, the difference in rhizosphere acidification potential was studied by directly measuring pH of the solution and by visualizing and quantifying proton efflux of roots between faba bean (Vicia faba L. ...

This study aimed to determine the effects of root pruning on the physicochemical characteristics and microbial activities of poplar rhizosphere soil. The root systems of 5-year-old poplar (Populus×euramericana cv. 'Neva') trees were manually pruned at 6, 8, or 10 times diameter at breast height (DBH) from the trunk (severe, moderate, and light, respectively) along both inter-row sides. Moderate...

Soil is the sink and source of heavy metals (both geogenic and anthropogenic) and plants are the ecosystem regulators, balancing the chemistry of life on earth. However, roots are the only connection between soil and plants, which are the real engineers of ecosystem dynamics responsible for environmental balance and stability. The plant-soil interface termed as ‘rhizosphere’ is a typical zone o...

In acidic forest soils, availability of inorganic nutrients is a tree-growth-limiting factor. A hypothesis to explain sustainable forest development proposes that tree roots select soil microbes involved in central biogeochemical processes, such as mineral weathering, that may contribute to nutrient mobilization and tree nutrition. Here we showed, by combining soil analyses with cultivation-dep...

The present study was mainly conducted to investigate the survey of arbuscular mycorrhizal biodiversity in rhizosphere soil and root colonization of medicinal plant species in Sirumalai hills, Eastern Ghats of Dindugul district, Tamilnadu. Soil samples were collected during the month of September 2014 from the surface to 30 cm depth and pH was measured. Rhizosphere soil root of 20 plant species...