Long-term growth of salt-tolerant plants in coastal saline soil reveals plant species-specific remediation efficacy and recruitment pattern of archaeal, bacterial and fungal communities

In this study, a long-term (~15 yrs) coastal saline soil remediation experiment was successfully implemented with three salt-tolerant plants: Lycium chinensis Mill. (LCM), Tamarix chinensis Lour. (TCL) and Gossypium hirsutum Linn. (GHL). The remediation efficacy was assessed through a comprehensive comparison of the soil properties in the remediated soils and in the barren soil. The archaeal, bacterial and fungal communities in four root compartments(distal-rhizosphere soil, proximal-rhizosphere soil, rhizoplane, and endosphere) and in the barren soil were investigated to illustrate the spatial distribution pattern and the differences across the plant species which may associated with the remediation efficacy.