土壤微生物在植物获得养分中的作用

大量施用化肥是当今农业的一个重要特征。化肥为粮食增产做出了巨大贡献,同时也带来一系列问题,如土壤酸化、水体富营养化、温室气体排放、资源耗竭等,直接威胁着农业可持续发展。土壤微生物是陆地生态系统植物多样性和生产力的重要驱动者,直接参与了植物获得养分和土壤养分循环两个过程。因此,通过调控土壤微生物的功能,有望降低农业对化肥的过分依赖。介绍了共生固氮菌、菌根真菌和根际促生菌对植物获得养分能力的影响及其机制,分析了土壤微生物对土壤氮、磷循环的影响及其与土壤养分生物有效性、养分损失的关系。依据这些知识,提出了改善植物营养、降低化肥施用的土壤微生物途径。虽然大量试验已证明了土壤微生物在改善植物营养中的重要作用,但是大面积应用土壤微生物技术来改善植物营养还存在不少问题。随着以后对这方面研究的加强以及上述问题的不断解决,土壤微生物有望在降低化肥施用量和维持农业可持续发展中做出重要贡献。

Role of soil microbes in the acquisition of nutrients by plants

Contemporary agriculture is characterized mainly by extensive fertilizer application. Worldwide, fertilizer application indeed contributes greatly to increase in crop yield, but it also causes several negative effects such as soil acidification, water eutrophication, greenhouse gas emission, and resource depletion, thereby threatening the sustainable development of agriculture. Soil microbes drive plant diversity and productivity in terrestrial ecosystems, and they are directly involved in regulating the ability of plants to acquire nutrients and the nutrient cycles occurring in soils. Therefore, it is feasible to reduce the dependence of agriculture on fertilizers through the development of soil microbial approaches. Here, we described the role of biological nitrogen fixation, mycorrhizal fungi, and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in enhancing the ability of plants to acquire nutrients, and the underlying mechanisms. Moreover, we investigated the effect of soil microbes on soil nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, and their relationship with soil nutrient bioavailability and nutrient loss. Based on the obtained information, soil microbial processes to improve plant nutrition have been suggested, with the objective of reducing fertilizer application. Numerous studies have demonstrated the vital role of soil microbes in improving plant nutrition, but many problems regarding the use of soil microbial approaches need to be solved. Further extensive research in this field will help us solve these problems, and accelerate the development and application of soil microbial techniques for reducing fertilizer use, thereby contributing to sustainable agriculture.