Principles of nutrition-dependent root-microbiome engineering for regulating crop yield via live microbial inoculants

Abstract

As the second genome, host-associated microbiota can enhance the functions of host immune systems, improve host nutrient availability and acquisition capacity, and increase host resistance to abiotic stress. Constructing host-associated microbiomes by applying various bioinoculants has become an attractive tool for promoting human health and increasing food production. However, despite their promising properties, the efficacy of bioinoculants vary significantly in actual field and clinical practices. Understanding the global design principles that shape the outcomes of interactions between bioinoculants and target host-microbiome symbionts remains a considerable challenge. In this study, we used a wheat production system as a case study to quantitatively understand how soil nutrient status impacts the establishment of host-microbiome interaction networks and their subsequent interactions with external bioinoculants. We found that soil organic carbon, one of the most general soil properties for global crop productivity and resilience, could affect the outcome of bioinoculant applications in wheat production systems, which led to functional instability in bioinoculant application outcomes. The results of this study significantly improved our understanding of the global design principles of nutrition-dependent root-microbiome engineering for regulating crop yield via the application of live microbial inoculants and provide theoretical guidance for bioinoculant applications in agricultural practice.