Biology and Fertility of Soils - Call for Papers Special Issue on “Performance of carriers for microbial inoculation into the soil-plant system”
Applying microbial inoculants in the soil can enhance soil properties, promote plant nutrient uptake, and improve the efficiency of mineral fertilizers and manures. As a result, there has been a growing interest in using microbial inoculants for sustainable agriculture and soil restoration. Formulation techniques have been employed to preserve and deliver beneficial soil microorganisms, particularly in agricultural practices such as spray drying, gelification, interfacial polymerization, or cross-linking.
The formulation of microorganisms with biodegradable biopolymers in their polymeric network presents the following advantages i) they systemically induce drought tolerance in the plant and thus improve adaptability to conditions of lower soil moisture, ii) they stimulate the production of plant growth hormones and volatile compounds stimulating plant growth, iii) increase the root system of plants, thereby increasing root length and exploration surface in the soil, and iv) transform some poorly available soil nutrients into biologically viable forms for plants.
The production of these biopolymers with immobilized microorganisms solves the problems caused by water stress in plants and nutrient deficits in soils. It protects the inoculum from the competition of soil microbiome, creating an opportunity to develop knowledge and prototype applicable to solving the problems of modern agriculture. However, the production process of inoculants could affect major traits related to the capacity of plant growth promotion of the microorganisms and be reflected in the tripartite soil-microorganism-plant system.
Thus, this special issue invites the latest studies in a variety of aspects related to bioencapsulation or immobilization of microbial inoculants, such as improving cells survival, biopolymers, encapsulation techniques, and functional biopolymers, focusing on the effect of the inoculant carrier on the microbial performance in the soil-plant system.
When submitting a manuscript for the special issue, the corresponding authors must specify the submission to the Special Issue and identify the suggested topic in their cover letter. For instructions on submitting a manuscript, please see the Biology and Fertility of Soils Instructions to authors.
Dates: Open for submissions: October 1, 2023
Deadline for submissions: April 30, 2024
Contact: If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact the Editor in Chief (paolo.nannipieri@unifi.it (this opens in a new tab)) or the Managing Editor (Giacomo.pietramellara@unifi.it (this opens in a new tab)).
Guest Editors:
Luz de-Bashan, Bashan Institute of Science, USA. luz@bashanfoundation.org (this opens in a new tab)
Mauricio Schoebitz, Concepción University, Chile. mschoebitz@udec.cl (this opens in a new tab)