Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 27, 2026

A Simple Protocol for Mapping the Plant Root System Architecture Traits
Published on: February 10, 2023
Phosphorus availability drives rhizosphere metabolite-microbial community interactions to modulate cucumber
Xiaoyu Liu1, Shengdie Yang1, Penghao Xie1
1Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Wastes, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource-Saving Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
Background:
Agricultural intensification has led to excessive phosphorus fertilizer application on croplands, yet the causal linkage between soil phosphorus enrichment and soil-borne disease susceptibility mediated by rhizosphere microbial community remains unclear. This study aimed to decipher how phosphorus availability modulates cucumber susceptibility to Fusarium wilt by restructuring rhizosphere metabolite-microbial community interactions.
Results:
We demonstrate that a moderately low phosphorus availability enhances cucumber resistance to Fusarium wilt. Amplicon sequencing analyses reveal that low phosphorus conditions promote microbial community stochastic assembly, enriching beneficial genera (bacterial genera Bacillus, Devosia, Sphingopyxis, Cupriavidus, and fungal genera Aspergillus and Amesia) with dual functions of phosphate solubilization and disease resistance, and enhancing cross-kingdom network robustness. In contrast, high phosphorus availability induced deterministic assembly and increased disease incidence by 62% compared to low phosphorus treatment. Metabolomics identified low phosphorus distinguished rhizosphere metabolites (succinic acid, azelaic acid, threonic acid, and methionine) that recruit beneficial taxa, whereas high phosphorus distinguished rhizosphere metabolites promoted pathogen growth. To validate the functional role of microbes-metabolites interaction, we constructed a synthetic microbial community composed of the signature taxa from the low phosphorus microbiota, which, when combined with low phosphorus metabolites, reduced pathogen abundance by 85% and conferred disease suppression under high phosphorus conditions.
Conclusions:
Our study establishes a phosphorus-driven mechanism whereby plant-metabolite-microbial community interactions orchestrate rhizosphere immunity. These findings provide new insights and potential strategies for sustainable disease management in agricultural systems with legacy phosphorus accumulation. Video Abstract.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Microbe-Plant Interactions
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
The Phosphorus Cycle
Soil Microbial Ecology
Microbial Interactions: Cooperation
Overview of Metabolism
Plant Metabolism
Sunlight, the primary source of energy in plants, is first absorbed by the chlorophyll pigments present in their leaves. Plants then use this energy to carry out photosynthesis, where water is oxidized into oxygen and carbon dioxide...

