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Updated: May 22, 2026

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
Published on: March 13, 2014
The legacy of soil chemistry: a hidden manipulator driving plant-soil feedbacks
Yan Chen1, Rutger A Wilschut2, Paolina Garbeva3
1State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 211135, China; Department of Microbial Ecology, the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), P.O. Box 50, Wageningen 6700AB, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Plants actively reshape the soil environment through their roots and associated microbes, creating lasting changes known as soil legacies that influence future plant generations via plant-soil feedbacks. While biotic factors such as pathogens and mutualists have received much attention, the chemical legacies, including water-soluble and volatile organic compounds, remain underexplored. These metabolites, produced by plants and soil microbes, modulate microbial communities, nutrient dynamics, and plant defenses, driving positive or negative feedbacks. This opinion article synthesizes recent evidence on soil chemical diversity, their role in legacy formation and persistence, while highlighting analytical challenges and promising applications in agriculture and ecology.
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