TY - JOUR

T1 - Microbial Consortium Application Under Temperature Stress: Effects on the Rhizosphere Microbiome and Plant Growth

AU - Sokolova, Ekaterina Alexeevna

AU - Smirnova, Natalya Valentinovna

AU - Fedorets, Valeria Aleksandrovna

AU - Khlistun, Inna Viktorovna

AU - Mishukova, Olga Viktorovna

AU - Tromenschleger, Irina Nikolaevna

AU - Savenkov, Oleg Aleksandrovich

AU - Saprikin, Oleg Igorevich

AU - Rogaev, Evgeny Ivanovich

AU - Buyanova, Maria Dmitrievna

AU - Filippova, Irina Mikhailovna

AU - Mayorova, Taisiya Maksimovna

AU - Glukhova, Marina Andreevna

AU - Mitina, Maria Ivanovna

AU - Manakhov, Andrey Dmitrievich

AU - Voronina, Elena Nikolaevna

N1 - This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (the Federal Scientific-technical programme for genetic technologies development for 2019–2030, agreement N. 075-15-2025-473).

PY - 2025/12/7

Y1 - 2025/12/7

N2 - The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a synthetic microbial consortium (SMC) containing five functionally different bacterial strains (Rahnella aquatilis, Rothia endophytica, Stenotrophomonas indicatrix, Burkholderia contaminans, Lelliotia amnigena) on the growth and development of three agricultural crops (wheat, buckwheat, and rapeseed) on two soil types (chernozem and gray forest soil) under field conditions. The experiment was conducted from June to September 2024 under extreme field conditions, with temperatures reaching 43.8 °C. This study evaluates SMC efficacy under severe abiotic stress, reflecting increasingly common climate extremes. Metagenomic data analysis showed that the introduced strains did not establish stable populations in the soil, possibly due to heat-induced bacterial mortality, though other factors including competition with indigenous microflora and lack of protective formulations may have also contributed. No statistically significant effects on plant morphometric parameters were observed. The extreme temperature and water stress conditions appear to have been the dominant limiting factors, overriding any potential benefits from microbial inoculation, as evidenced by the lack of response to mineral fertilizer application as well. Crop-specific effects were revealed: when cultivating rapeseed on chernozem, a significant increase in available phosphorus content was noted (from 278 ± 45 to 638 ± 92 mg/kg with SMC application, p < 0.001).

AB - The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a synthetic microbial consortium (SMC) containing five functionally different bacterial strains (Rahnella aquatilis, Rothia endophytica, Stenotrophomonas indicatrix, Burkholderia contaminans, Lelliotia amnigena) on the growth and development of three agricultural crops (wheat, buckwheat, and rapeseed) on two soil types (chernozem and gray forest soil) under field conditions. The experiment was conducted from June to September 2024 under extreme field conditions, with temperatures reaching 43.8 °C. This study evaluates SMC efficacy under severe abiotic stress, reflecting increasingly common climate extremes. Metagenomic data analysis showed that the introduced strains did not establish stable populations in the soil, possibly due to heat-induced bacterial mortality, though other factors including competition with indigenous microflora and lack of protective formulations may have also contributed. No statistically significant effects on plant morphometric parameters were observed. The extreme temperature and water stress conditions appear to have been the dominant limiting factors, overriding any potential benefits from microbial inoculation, as evidenced by the lack of response to mineral fertilizer application as well. Crop-specific effects were revealed: when cultivating rapeseed on chernozem, a significant increase in available phosphorus content was noted (from 278 ± 45 to 638 ± 92 mg/kg with SMC application, p < 0.001).

KW - PGPR

KW - abiotic stress

KW - agricultural crops

KW - chernozem

KW - gray forest soil

KW - metagenomic analysis

KW - rhizosphere microbiome

KW - synthetic microbial consortium

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105025746083

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/fee97ac3-e738-3d14-a4b0-996923bcf364/

U2 - 10.3390/ijms262411814

DO - 10.3390/ijms262411814

M3 - Article

C2 - 41465246

VL - 26

JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

SN - 1661-6596

IS - 24

M1 - 11814

ER -