Steering plant-soil feedback for sustainable agriculture

The challenge of producing food at low monetary cost comes with high environmental impacts as yield maximization by excessive fertilization and chemical pest control drive farmers away from using the natural multifunctional potential of soils. We show how the ecological concept of plant-soil feedback can be used to restore the capacity of agricultural soils to provide nutrients, suppress pathogens, and enhance crop resilience sustainably. We review how recent advances in molecular and multiomic methods, soil management, and crop diversification reduce negative and promote positive plant-soil feedback, emphasizing the need for rhizosphere microbiome engineering and soil restoration strategies. Applying nature-based plant-soil feedback principles would enhance transformation to more sustainable agricultural practices that secure food production by restoring natural soil functions, while simultaneously mitigating climate change.
以低货币成本生产粮食的挑战带来了高昂的环境影响，因为过度施肥和化学害虫防治带来的产量最大化，驱使农民远离利用土壤天然的多功能潜力。我们展示了如何运用植物-土壤反馈的生态概念，来可持续地恢复农业土壤提供养分、抑制病原体和增强作物抗逆性的能力。我们综述了分子与多组学方法、土壤管理和作物多样化方面的最新进展如何减少负面并促进正面的植物-土壤反馈，强调根际微生物组工程和土壤恢复策略的必要性。运用基于自然的植物-土壤反馈原理，将促进向更可持续农业实践的转型——通过恢复自然土壤功能保障粮食生产，同时缓解气候变化。

基于植物-土壤反馈理念的土壤健康管理技术示意图


植物-土壤反馈助推农业可持续发展示意图