Influence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Rhizobium on Soil Health and Plant Growth

The research project aims to assess the effect of beneficial soil microorganisms on plant growth and soil health for sustainable crop production under dryland conditions. This includes enhanced knowledge of the interactions of plant and microbes in the soil that contribute to resilience in abiotic and biotic production constraints relevant to the pulse industry. In particular, we would like to determine the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus intraradices) and Rhizobium leguminosarum bv veceae as seed treatments on the root-soil microbial population involved in nutrient cycling and disease resistance against soil-borne fungal pathogens. Within this project, we will culture, transfer, and inoculate Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani f.sp pisi or both to pea seedlings previously seed-treated with beneficial soil microbes. We will record the root rot disease levels, plant (nodulation, biomass, and yield components) and soil (physicochemical analysis, temperature, and moisture) data parameters in the growth chamber and greenhouse. The greenhouse experiment will simulate pea cropping system in the field to assess the agronomic performance of pea and the efficacy of beneficial microbial inoculants in mitigating disease buildup. We will inoculate the pathogens only under controlled condition, while our field experiment will rely on natural infection. Further, we will collect root soil samples for microbiome studies to examine the composition of the microbial communities as affected by beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms, and the associated plant phenotype and soil functions.

本研究项目旨在评估有益土壤微生物对干旱条件下可持续作物生产中植物生长和土壤健康的影响。此项目旨在深化对植物与土壤中微生物相互作用的认知，这些相互作用有助于在非生物和生物生产限制方面增强相关豆科产业的抗逆性。特别是，我们希望确定丛枝菌根真菌（Glomus intraradices）和根瘤菌（Rhizobium leguminosarum bv veceae）作为种子处理对参与养分循环和对抗土壤传播真菌病原体的抗病性之根际土壤微生物种群的影响。在本项目中，我们将培养、转移并接种Rhizoctonia solani、Fusarium solani f.sp pisi或两者之一至预先用有益土壤微生物种子处理的豌豆幼苗。我们将记录生长室和大棚中的根腐病水平、植物（结瘤、生物量和产量构成）及土壤（物理化学分析、温度和湿度）数据参数。大棚实验将模拟田间豌豆种植系统，以评估豌豆的农业性能和有益微生物接种剂减轻病害累积的功效。我们将仅在控制条件下接种病原体，而我们的田间实验将依赖于自然感染。此外，我们将收集根际土壤样本进行微生物组研究，以检查有益和病原微生物影响下的微生物群落组成，以及相关的植物表型和土壤功能。