Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryPeer-reviewed

Microbes to support plant health: understanding bioinoculant success in complex conditions

Sanne WM Poppeliers, Juan J. Sánchez-Gil, Ronnie de Jonge

Current Opinion in Microbiology · 2023

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Summary

This narrative review addresses the persistent gap between the promise of beneficial bioinoculants and their variable field performance by systematically examining microbial invasion dynamics in the rhizosphere. The authors integrate ecological theory with molecular microbiology to identify the biotic factors that determine whether introduced beneficial microbes successfully establish and enhance plant health. The paper emphasises that understanding invasion as a complex phenomenon shaped by resident microbiota and plant host interactions is essential for improving bioinoculant applicability in agriculture.

UK applicability

The review's framework for understanding bioinoculant success is universally applicable to UK farming systems, where variable efficacy has similarly limited adoption. The ecological principles discussed should inform development and field-testing strategies for bioinoculants under British soil and climate conditions.

Key measures

Bioinoculant invasion success and efficacy; interactions with resident rhizosphere microbiome; host plant factors determining microbial establishment

Outcomes reported

The paper reviews factors determining bioinoculant effectiveness by synthesising ecological theory and molecular biology of microbial invasion in the rhizosphere. It examines how biotic interactions between introduced microbes, resident soil microbiota, and the host plant shape bioinoculant success in field conditions.

Theme
Farming systems, soils & land use
Subject
Soil biology & microbiology
Study type
Narrative Review
Study design
Narrative review
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
System type
Laboratory / in vitro
DOI
10.1016/j.mib.2023.102286
Catalogue ID
SNmoqqsh3y-te6rc6

Topic tags

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