Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Early Access

Influence of biological and chemical fertilisation on rhizosphere bacterial communities of Citrus sinensis L.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13124
Submitted
8 December 2025
Published
20-07-2026
Versions

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of chemical and biological fertilisation through the application of a fermented product in the rhizosphere of Citrus sinensis L. Olinda. The objective was to examine the relationship between bacterial diversity and plant-microbe interactions. The experiment was conducted from January to July 2025 at the nursery of the Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Autonomous University of Tamaulipas (23°42′54″ N, 99°09′11″ W). Five nutritional treatments were applied: T1, soil application of a fermented product solution at 6 %; T2, combination of this fermented solution with foliar application; T3, granular fertiliser nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and sulfur (S) (NPKS); T4, triple 20 fertiliser and T5, an unfertilised control. Metagenomic DNA was extracted from rhizosphere samples (1 g) using the Quick-DNA kit and the V4 region (~250 bp) of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified with primer 27F and sequenced on an Illumina MiniSeq platform. All treatments induced changes in bacterial community structure, with beneficial bacterial groups prevailing. The highest diversity was observed in T1 (H′ = 3.35 ± 0.16; observed species = 1631 ± 285), while T2 showed the lowest diversity (H′ = 2.48 ± 0.18; species = 1269 ± 127). Conventional fertilisation (T3 and T4) resulted in intermediate diversity (H′ = 2.82 ± 0.04 and 3.16 ± 0.41, respectively) and the untreated control (T5) showed moderate diversity (H′ = 3.03 ± 0.00). Although sequencing depth varied among treatments, it did not consistently correlate with diversity. Soil nutrient profiles (Ca, Mg, K and P) also varied across treatments, influencing microbial composition. These findings suggest that biological fertilisation promotes greater beneficial bacterial diversity, relevant for improving plant health and developing sustainable citrus management strategies.

References

  1. 1. Zapata Y, Osorio E, Silva J, Segura M. Plagas principales de los cítricos en Tamaulipas. Temas Cienc Tecnol. 2022;26:25–30.
  2. 2. Rinconada-Carbajal F, Galván-Verda A, García-Fernández F. Identification of the citrus cluster and measurement of its collective efficiency in the state of Tamaulipas. Agric Soc Desarro. 2021;18:259–78. https://doi.org/10.22231/asyd.v18i2.996
  3. 3. Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service. Planting and harvest progress. National summary by crop [Internet]. SIAP; 2023.
  4. 4. Obreza TA, Morgan KT, Albrigo LG, Boman BJ, Kadyampakeni D, Vashisth T, et al. Nutrition of Florida Citrus Trees. 3rd ed. Chapter 8: Recommended Fertilizer Rates and Timing. Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences. 2020;(2). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-ss675-2020
  5. 5. Alayón P, Rodríguez VA, Píccoli AB, Chabbal MD, Giménez LI, Martínez GC. Foliar nutrition to Valencia late (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) orange and tangor Murcott (Citrus reticulata Blanco × Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) trees with macronutrients. Rev Fac Cienc Agrar. 2015;46:87–96.
  6. 6. Velázquez-Chávez LJ, Ortiz-Sánchez IA, Chávez-Simental JA, Pámanes-Carrasco GA, Carrillo-Parra A, Pereda-Solís ME. Influence of water and soil pollution on national and international agricultural development. TIP Rev Esp Cienc Quím Biol. 2022;25:1–13. https://doi.org/10.22201/fesz.23958723e.2022.482
  7. 7. Vargas L, Buitrago M, Villegas L. Contaminación de alimentos por plomo en Colombia y tecnologías para su manejo ambiental. Rev Invest Agrar Ambient. 2024;16(1):247–79. https://doi.org/10.22490/21456453.7273
  8. 8. Yepis O, Fundora O, Pereira C, Crespo T. La contaminación ambiental por el uso excesivo de fertilizantes nitrogenados en el cultivo del tomate. Sci Gerund. 1999;24:5–12.
  9. 9. Chanduví R, Sandoval MA, Peña R, Javier J, Álvarez LA, Quiroz MV, et al. Biofertilizante y su correlación entre parámetros productivos y de calidad en limón sutil (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle). Rev Terra Lat-Am. 2023;41:1–9. https://doi.org/10.28940/terra.v41i0.1685
  10. 10. Ochoa MF, Armenta AD, Moreno SF, Fernández E, Ochoa A. Organic fertilization and its impact on soil quality. Biotecnia. 2019;21:87–92. https://doi.org/10.18633/biotecnia.v21i1.817
  11. 11. Navarro G, Navarro S. Fertilizantes. Química y acción. 2nd ed. Madrid: Mundi-Prensa; 2023. p. 288.
  12. 12. Chavan A. Biofertilizers-types and benefits. Pop Kheti. 2019;7:16–20.
  13. 13. Carvajal J, Mera A. Biological fertilization: state of the art techniques for a sustainable agricultural development. Rev P+L. 2010;5(2):77–96.
  14. 14. Torrisi B, Allegra M, Amenta M, Gentile F, Rapisarda P, Fabroni S, et al. Physico-chemical and multielemental traits of anaerobic digestate from Mediterranean agro-industrial wastes and assessment as fertiliser for citrus nurseries. Waste Manag. 2021;131:201–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2021.06.007
  15. 15. Alfa M, Adie D, Igboro S, Oranusi U, Dahunsi S, Akali D. Assessment of biofertilizer quality and health implications of anaerobic digestion effluent of cow dung and chicken droppings. Renew Energy. 2014;63:681–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2013.09.049
  16. 16. Burges P, Nadler N, Hirsch M, Bongiorno M, Villareal N, Marina M. Physicochemical and microbiological characterization of the “Supermagro” biopreparation. Effects of its pre-harvest application on strawberry quality parameters. Investig Joven. 2023;10:229–33.
  17. 17. Rivera-Urbajelo A, Vázquez-Sandoval D, Fernández-Vázquez JL, Rosete-Enríquez M, Cesa-Luna C, Morales-García YE, et al. Contributions and difficulties of soil metagenomics and its impact on agriculture. Acta Biol Colomb. 2021;26:449–61. https://doi.org/10.15446/abc.v26n3.85760
  18. 18. Sparks DL, Page AL, Helmke PA, Loeppert RH, editors. Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 3: Chemical Methods. 3rd ed. Madison (WI): American Society of Agronomy; 1996. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssabookser5.3
  19. 19. Dane JH, Topp GC, editors. Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 4: Physical Methods. Madison (WI): American Society of Agronomy; 2002. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssabookser5.4
  20. 20. Xie N, Fan Y, Duan N, Yang L, Radosevich M, Zhang Y, et al. Interactive effects of straw and biochar amendments on soil organic carbon stabilization and bacterial community dynamics. Biol Fertil Soils. 2025;61(8):1423–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-025-01947-9
  21. 21. Philippot L, Chenu C, Kappler A, Rillig MC, Fierer N. The interplay between microbial communities and soil properties. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2024;22(4):226–39. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-023-00980-5
  22. 22. Li Y, Wang M, Fan M, Li X, Jiang L, Hao Z, et al. Organic amendments promoted soil agglomeration mainly by alleviating abiotic constraints and stabilizing and functionalizing microbiomes in salt-affected coastal lands. Agronomy. 2024;14(12):2864. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14122864
  23. 23. Jamali H, Sharma A, Roohi N, Srivastava AK. Biocontrol potential of Bacillus subtilis RH5 against sheath blight of rice caused by Rhizoctonia solani. J Basic Microbiol. 2020;60:268–80. https://doi.org/10.1002/jobm.201900347
  24. 24. Álvarez-García JA, Santoyo G, Rocha-Granados MC. Pseudomonas fluorescens: mechanisms and applications in sustainable agriculture. Rev Latinoam Recur Nat. 2020;1:1–10. https://doi.org/10.33154/rlrn.2020.01.01
  25. 25. Vetterlein D, Carminati A, Kögel-Knabner I, Bienert GP, Smalla K, Oburger E, et al. Rhizosphere spatiotemporal organization–a key to rhizosphere functions. Front Agron. 2020;2:8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2020.00008
  26. 26. Capra V. Investigation of microbial consortia: from fundamental to applied results, from established to novel production systems. Int J Fauna Biol Stud. 2025;9(3):55–63.
  27. 27. Xu H, Liu W, He Y, Zou D, Zhou J, Bai Y. Plant-root microbiota interactions in nutrient utilization. Front Agric Sci Eng. 2025;12(1):12:e2024595. https://doi.org/10.15302/J-FASE-2024595
  28. 28. Marco S, Loredana M, Riccardo V, Raffaella B, Walter C, Luca N. Microbe-assisted crop improvement: a sustainable weapon to restore holobiont functionality and resilience. Hortic Res. 2022;9:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhac160
  29. 29. York LM, Carminati A, Mooney SJ, Ritz K, Bennett MJ. The holistic rhizosphere: integrating zones, processes and semantics in the soil influenced by roots. J Exp Bot. 2016;67(12):3629–43. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erw108
  30. 30. Wu Z, Chen X, Lu X, Zhu Y, Han X, Yan J, et al. Impact of combined organic amendments and chemical fertilizers on soil microbial limitations, soil quality and soybean yield. Plant Soil. 2025;507(1):317–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06733-4

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.