Bio-activation of soil with beneficial microbes after soil fumigation reduces soil-borne pathogens and increases tomato yield

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 283; p. 117160
• Main Authors: Cheng, Hongyan, Zhang, Daqi, Ren, Lirui, Song, Zhaoxin, Li, Qingjie, Wu, Jiajia, Fang, Wensheng, Huang, Bin, Yan, Dongdong, Li, Yuan, Wang, Qiuxia, Cao, Aocheng
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.08.2021
• Subjects: 1,3-dichloropropene; Beneficial microorganisms; Biofertilizer; Biofertilizers; Biologie végétale (sciences végétales, sylviculture, mycologie...); Environmental sciences & ecology; Fertilizers; Fumigation; Fusarium; General Medicine; Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis; Life sciences; Lycopersicon esculentum; Phytobiology (plant sciences, forestry, mycology...); Phytophthora; Plant Diseases; Pollution; Sciences de l’environnement & écologie; Sciences du vivant; Soil; Soil fumigation; Soil health; Soil Microbiology; Soil pH; Soil-borne pathogen; Soil-borne pathogens; Tomato; Tomato yield; Toxicology; Biofertilizer; Beneficial microorganisms; 1,3-dichloropropene; Soil-borne pathogen; Tomato; Soil health
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117160

Soil-borne diseases have become increasingly problematic for farmers producing crops intensively under protected agriculture. Although soil fumigants are convenient and effective for minimizing the impact of soil-borne disease, they are most often detrimental to beneficial soil microorganisms. Previous research showed that bio-activation of soil using biological control agents present in biofertilizers or organic fertilizers offered promise as a strategy for controlling soil-borne pathogens when the soil was bio-activated after fumigation. Our research sought to determine how bio-activation can selectively inhibit pathogens while promoting the recovery of beneficial microbes. We monitored changes in the soil’s physicochemical properties, its microbial community and reductions in soil-borne pathogens. We found that the population density of Fusarium and Phytophthora were significantly reduced and tomato yield was significantly increased when the soil was bio-activated. Soil pH and soil catalase activity were significantly increased, and the soil’s microbial community structure was changed, which may have enhanced the soil’s ability to reduce Fusarium and Phytophthora. Our results showed that soil microbial diversity and relative abundance of beneficial microorganisms (such as Sphingomonas, Bacillus, Mortierella and Trichoderma) increased shortly after bio-activation of the soil, and were significantly and positively correlated with pathogen suppression. The reduction in pathogens may have been due to a combination of fumigation-fertilizer that reduced pathogens directly, or the indirect effect of an optimized soil microbiome that improved the soil’s non-biological factors (such as soil pH, fertility structure), enhanced the soil’s functional properties and increased tomato yield. [Display omitted] •Bio-activation after fumigation further reduced soil pathogen populations.•Soil pH was positively correlated with pathogens suppression.•The addition of beneficial microorganisms optimized the soil microbial community.•Adding fertilizers after fumigation improved soil health and increased tomato yield. Biofertilizers promote the restoration of soil beneficial microbial communities after fumigation, and reduce the population density of soil pathogenic bacteria.