Soil microbiome

The soil microbiome is the complete set of microbes that can live in soil ecosystems.

• Soil represents the greatest microbial reservoir of biological diversity

  • more than 30,000 prokaryotic species

  • presence of soil microbes depends on many environmental factors including geographic location, salinity, temperature, oxygen, nutrients

• • Plant-microbe interactions

    • microbes are essential for plant growth and health

    • soil serves as a major source of plant-associated bacteria

Rhizosphere microbiome

Rhizosphere microbiome consists of all soil microbes that colonize the roots of plants.

• • Microbes support plant growth and health

    • microbial colonization of roots is beneficial to plant growth and health

    • microbes help to absorb nutrient absorption and to protect against pathogens

• Plant-specific microbioms

  • plants are able to control their rhizosphere microbiom by root secretions

  • different plant species growing on the same soil attract different microbes

read more

→ The Earth Microbiome Project

→ Rhizosphere Interactions