Rhizosphere microbiome dynamics and hormonal interactions regulating tiller development in sugarcane cultivars.
Lu Q, Chen S, Shan B, Wei A, Luo Y
Soil Health
Same principle — that healthy soil microbes boost plant productivity — applies to your garden: nurturing microbial life in your soil could help your plants branch out, grow more abundantly, and need fewer synthetic fertilizers.
Scientists compared the tiny living communities in the soil around the roots of sugarcane plants that sprout lots of new shoots versus those that sprout few. Plants with more shoots had richer soil microbe communities that help them absorb nutrients and produce natural growth signals. Plants with fewer shoots had simpler microbe communities focused more on surviving stress than on growing.
Key Findings
High-tillering sugarcane cultivars had significantly greater microbial diversity and more complex microbial networks in root-zone soil, enriched with bacteria linked to nitrogen fixation and phosphorus release.
Plants that sprouted more shoots had higher levels of growth-promoting hormones (auxin and active cytokinins) in their buds, while low-sprouting plants accumulated growth-inhibiting abscisic acid instead.
High-sprouting varieties contained more nitrogen and phosphorus in their tissues, while low-sprouting varieties accumulated more zinc and manganese, suggesting a stress-adaptation trade-off.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Sugarcane plants that produce more shoots host richer, more diverse soil microbial communities, which in turn supply growth hormones and nutrients that fuel further shoot growth — revealing a self-reinforcing loop between soil microbes and plant vigor.
Abstract Preview
Sugarcane tillering is a key determinant of crop productivity, yet the integrated roles of rhizosphere microbiome dynamics, nutrient status, and hormone signaling in regulating tiller development r...
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