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Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
Published on: March 13, 2014
Understanding plant-soil interactions underpins enhanced sustainability of crop production
Xin Wang1, Lingyun Cheng2, Chuanyong Xiong3
1State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, Department of Plant Nutrition, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
Abstract:
The Green Revolution transformed agriculture with high-yielding, stress-resistant varieties. However, the urgent need for more sustainable agricultural development presents new challenges: increasing crop yield, improving nutritional quality, and enhancing resource-use efficiency. Soil plays a vital role in crop-production systems and ecosystem services, providing water, nutrients, and physical anchorage for crop growth. Despite advancements in plant and soil sciences, our understanding of belowground plant-soil interactions, which impact both crop performance and soil health, remains limited. Here, we argue that a lack of understanding of these plant-soil interactions hinders sustainable crop production. We propose that targeted engineering of crops and soils can provide a fresh approach to achieve higher yields, more efficient sustainable crop production, and improved soil health.
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