The Impact of Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria-Based Biostimulant Alone or in Combination with Commercial Inoculum on Tomato Native Rhizosphere Microbiota and Production: An Open-Field Trial

• Published in: Biology (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 13; no. 6; p. 400
• Main Authors: Novello, Giorgia, Bona, Elisa, Nasuelli, Martina, Massa, Nadia, Sudiro, Cristina, Campana, Daniela Cristina, Gorrasi, Susanna, Hochart, Marie Louise, Altissimo, Adriano, Vuolo, Francesco, Gamalero, Elisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 31-05-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Adaptability; Agricultural management; Agricultural practices; Agricultural production; Agriculture; Bacteria; Biodiversity; Biological diversity; Climate change; Climatic changes; Consortia; Contamination; Environmental conditions; Environmental impact; Environmental sustainability; Fertilizers; Fixation; Food security; Fungi; Inoculum; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Nitrogen; Nitrogen fixation; Nitrogen-fixing bacteria; Physiology; plant-growth promoting bacteria; Production management; Productivity; Rhizosphere; Soil management; soil metabarcoding; Soil microbiology; Soil microorganisms; Sustainability; Sustainable agriculture; SynCom; tomato; Tomatoes; Vegetable industry; Spain; microbiota; plant-growth promoting bacteria; tomato; SynCom; rhizosphere; soil metabarcoding
• ISSN: 2079-7737; 2079-7737
• DOI: 10.3390/biology13060400

The agricultural sector is currently encountering significant challenges due to the effects of climate change, leading to negative consequences for crop productivity and global food security. In this context, traditional agricultural practices have been inadequate in addressing the fast-evolving challenges while maintaining environmental sustainability. A possible alternative to traditional agricultural management is represented by using beneficial micro-organisms that, once applied as bioinoculants, may enhance crop resilience and adaptability, thereby mitigating the adverse effects of environmental stressors and boosting productivity. Tomato is one of the most important crops worldwide, playing a central role in the human diet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a nitrogen-fixing bacterial-based biostimulant (
sp.,
sp., and
sp.) in combination or not with a commercial inoculum Micomix (
,
,
,
, and
) (MYC) on the native rhizosphere communities and tomato production. Bacterial populations in the different samples were characterized using an environmental metabarcoding approach. The bioinocula effect on the native rhizosphere microbiota resulted in significant variation both in alpha and beta diversity and in a specific signature associated with the presence of biostimulants.