Impacts of biostimulant products on the growth of wheat and the microbial communities of its rhizosphere under contrasted production systems

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are one of the major biostimulant classes due to their ability to stimulate root growth, enhance mineral availability, and nutrient use efficiency in crops. PGPR-containing biostimulant products could therefore make agriculture more sustainable by reducing demand for chemical fertilizer and lessen their negative environmental impacts. The aim of this project is to screen PGPR strains to (1) enhance wheat fitness level (growth, photosynthesis efficiency, stress tolerance, and yield) in combination with an optimised fertilizer level, (2) stimulate the increase in beneficial microorganism communities and suppress pathogenic ones in the wheat rhizosphere, (3) link wheat productivity to the composition of the microbial communities found in its rhizosphere, and (4) measure the impacts of such changes on soil fertility. A list of PGPR-containing biostimulants have been collected from screening, including several commercially available products (e.g. TwinN and NitroGuard, Mabiotec; Rhizocell GC, Ithec; B. subtilis FZB24 fl and Rhizo Vital 42, Abitep) as well as newly discovered PGPR strains. The biostimulants from that list have been screened in greenhouse and we expect to obtain results within next month. In parallel, several levels of nitrogen supply have been tested in combination with biostimulants to optimize agricultural practices and achieve the highest yield on field condition. A soil analysis protocols will also be built up to measure the influence of those PGPR strains on soil fertility changes and root uptake efficiency. In order to assess changes in the rhizomicrobial communities including fungi and bacteria (either pathogenic, neutral, or beneficial) under controlled or field conditions, metagenomic approaches will be set up. Finally, a maximum of three promising PGPR strains will be selected for practical agronomical application in larger field trials.