Monsanto’s Bt-cotton NC 33B, planted in northern China for more than one decade, effectively controls cotton bollworms; however the understanding of its potential effects on soil microorganisms is limited. The dynamics of eubacterial, fungal and actinomycetes population sizes in rhizosphere soil of the Bt cotton were analysed by realtime PCR (qPCR) at the different growth stages under field con...

The effect of bacterial secretion of an exopolysaccharide (EPS) on rhizosphere soil physical properties was investigated by inoculating strain NAS206, which was isolated from the rhizosphere of wheat (Triticum durum L.) growing in a Moroccan vertisol and was identified as Pantoea aglomerans. Phenotypic identification of this strain with the Biotype-100 system was confirmed by amplified ribosoma...

Conservation tillage is an extensively used agricultural practice in northern China that alters soil texture and nutrient conditions, causing changes in the soil microbial community. However, how conservation tillage affects rhizosphere and bulk soil fungal communities during plant growth remains unclear. The present study investigated the effect of long-term (6 years) conservation (chisel plow...

Native bacteria, Pseudomonas and filamentous bacteria were quantified and localized on wheat roots grown in the field using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Seminal roots were sampled through the season from unploughed soil in a conservation farming system. Such soils are spatially heterogeneous, and many roots grow slowly through hard soil with cracks and pores containing dead roots ...

While multiple experiments have demonstrated that trees exposed to elevated CO₂ can stimulate microbes to release nutrients from soil organic matter, the importance of root- versus mycorrhizal-induced changes in soil processes are presently unknown. We analyzed the contribution of roots and mycorrhizal activities to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) turnover in a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forest ex...

Monoculture causes nutrient losses and leads to declines in soil fertility and biomass production over successive cultivation. The rhizosphere, a zone of usually high microbial activities and clearly distinct from bulk soil, is defined as the volume of soil around living roots and influenced by root activities. Here we investigated enzyme activities and microbial biomass in the rhizosphere unde...

Recently discovered As-hyperaccumulator ferns hold promise for phytoremediation of As-polluted soils. We investigated changes in the rhizosphere characteristics of Pteris vittata (Chinese Brake fern) relevant for its use in phytoextraction. Plants were grown in rhizoboxes filled with soil containing 2270 mg kg(-1) As. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in rhizosphere soil solution we...