ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbiological Chemistry and Geomicrobiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1592834
This article is part of the Research TopicPlant Mineral Microbe InteractionsView all 15 articles
The Impact of Salt-Tolerant Plants on Soil Nutrients and Microbial Communities in Soda Saline-Alkali Lands of the Songnen Plain
Provisionally accepted
- Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
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Soil salinization poses a significant threat to agricultural development and ecosystem health. Phytoremediation is one of the most effective methods for managing soil salinization; however, the mechanisms by which common salt-tolerant plants in the Songnen Plain mediate the amelioration of saline-alkali soils remain unclear. In this study, we selected seven common salt-tolerant plants from the Songnen Plain to compare differences in soil nutrients and microbial communities between vegetated areas and control sites (alkali patches). The presence of plants significantly reduced soil salinity and pH while increasing total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), and soil enzyme activities (Catalase, Cellulase, Saccharase, and Urease), with the SL plant showing the most comprehensive improvement. In terms of soil microbial structure, vegetation restoration significantly enhanced the abundance and diversity of bacteria and fungi in saline-alkali soils, thereby improving ecosystem stability. Electrical conductivity (EC) (R² =0.7308, P=0.0001) and TN (R² =0.5706, P=0.0001) were identified as the primary factors driving changes in bacterial and fungal diversity. Plant cultivation also led to significant shifts in microbial community composition. Beneficial phyla such as Mortierellomycota and Acidobacteriota increased significantly, while Chytridiomycota, which parasitizes and damages plants, decreased markedly. Variations in microbial community composition under different vegetation types were primarily influenced by EC (R² =0.8778; P=0.001) and pH (R² =0.8661; P=0.001). Furthermore, the presence of plants significantly promoted the abundance of microbial functional groups involved in carbon cycling, nitrogen fixation, and denitrification processes. In conclusion, plant presence enhanced soil nutrients and altered soil microbial communities. These findings provide a basis for the sustainable development of saline-alkali lands.
Keywords: Salt tolerant plants, Soda saline-alkali soil, Soil physical and chemical properties, Rhizosphere microorganisms, Driving factors
Received: 13 Mar 2025; Accepted: 07 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Song, Guan, Cui, Liu, Li, Li and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yuhua Li, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Shurong Ma, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
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