Competitive Capacity and Rhizosphere Mineralization of Organic Matter During Weed-Soil Microbiota Interactions

ABSTRACT: The competition between weeds and crops is one of the main factors responsible for productivity losses in agricultural fields. This review aimed at presenting and discussing how the interactions between weeds and microorganisms can affect the competitive capacity of weeds and soil physicochemical properties. We also discuss how changes in the elemental stoichiometry of weeds can reflect their competitive and adaptative capacity. Although weeds are more dependent on associations with soil microorganisms than crops for growth, few studies have assessed the contribution of the soil microbiota to their competitive success in agroecosystems. When in competition, plants can change the elemental stoichiometry of their tissues in environments with varied nutrient availability. Elemental stoichiometry of plants has been particularly well studied using ecological approaches on the dynamics of weed populations in natural ecosystems, being a promising tool for understanding weed capacity to adapt to different agricultural managements. Plants control the biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in the rhizosphere through a phenomenon known as the rhizosphere priming effect (RPE). Although this review has found some information in the literature that provides strong indications that the coexistence of weeds and crops may increase soil organic matter mineralization, we are not aware of studies investigating the effects of competition among these plants on RPE.