Summary
This greenhouse study demonstrated that glyphosate application to both first-generation (GR1) and second-generation (GR2) glyphosate-resistant soybean cultivars negatively altered rhizosphere microbial communities, increasing Fusarium colonisation whilst reducing beneficial pseudomonads and plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria. The shifts in microbial ecology were associated with reductions in shoot and root biomass, suggesting that herbicide-induced changes to soil microbiota may compromise plant productivity despite herbicide-resistant traits.
Regional applicability
This greenhouse study, conducted under controlled conditions in a silt loam soil, demonstrates a mechanism of concern for UK arable farmers considering or currently using glyphosate-tolerant soybean varieties, particularly as glyphosate remains widely used in UK herbicide programmes. Transferability to UK field conditions would depend on validation across UK soil types, climate conditions, and agronomic practices, as the controlled greenhouse environment may not fully represent field-scale soil ecology and weathering dynamics.
Key measures
Root colonisation by Fusarium spp., rhizosphere fluorescent pseudomonads, Mn-reducing bacteria, indoleacetic acid-producing rhizobacteria populations, shoot biomass, root biomass
Outcomes reported
The study measured rhizosphere microbial colonisation patterns, including Fusarium spp. proliferation and reductions in fluorescent pseudomonads, Mn-reducing bacteria, and indoleacetic acid-producing rhizobacteria, alongside shoot and root biomass in glyphosate-resistant soybean cultivars exposed to glyphosate at multiple growth stages.
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