Plant, Soil and Environment, 2026 (vol. 72), issue 5
Selenite alleviates PEG-induced drought stress during rice seed germination through antioxidant regulation and osmotic adjustmentOriginal Paper
Ying Wang, Qing Zhu, Xue Luo, Gaogao Dai, Jingwen Hou, Feiyan Yu, Lianhe Zhang
Plant Soil Environ., 2026, 72(5):271-283 | DOI: 10.17221/44/2026-PSE 
Drought stress severely impairs seed germination. Selenium (Se) is a potential mitigator of abiotic stress, but its physiological mechanisms in alleviating osmotic stress during seed germination remain poorly understood. This study investigated how Se alleviates the inhibition of rice seed germination induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG)-simulated drought. The results indicated that co-application of Se and PEG effectively alleviated the PEG-induced suppression of germination. Se significantly increased the activities of superoxide dismutase by 31.0%, peroxidase by 39.0%, catalase by 42.9%, and ascorbate peroxidase by 41.8%, along with elevating the...
Selenium promotes soybean sprout growth via enhanced antioxidant capacity and nutrient mobilisationOriginal Paper
Kaiwei Li, Lele Li, Yuqing Liu, Sanchun Lei, Minghao Hao, Qiong Wu, Feiyan Yu, Lianhe Zhang
Plant Soil Environ., 2026, 72(5):284-297 | DOI: 10.17221/72/2026-PSE
Selenium (Se) biofortification of soybean sprouts presents a promising approach for enhancing dietary Se intake. However, the physiological mechanisms of Se promoting growth remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of selenite (Na2SeO3) at concentrations of 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10 μmol/L on soybean sprout development over 72 h. The results indicated that 5.0 and 7.5 μmol/L Na2SeO3 significantly promoted hypocotyl elongation and biomass accumulation. Se predominantly accumulated in the radicle, followed by the hypocotyl and cotyledon. Moderate selenite levels enhanced the activities...
Nitrogen availability regulates the soil organic carbon sequestration by promoting microbial necromass and plant lignin phenol accumulation in orchard soil amended with organic residuesOriginal Paper
Dongmei Lang, Feiyan Zhu, Fengge Hao, Peng Zhang
Plant Soil Environ., 2026, 72(5):298-306 | DOI: 10.17221/555/2025-PSE
Plant carbon (C) inputs and their subsequent microbial transformation affect the soil organic C (SOC) net sequestration. However, the characteristics of plant- and microbial-derived C and SOC sequestration under organic matter plus different nitrogen (N) levels in orchard soils remain unclear. Therefore, a pot experiment over 120 days was conducted to investigate the plant and microbial biomarkers in soils under 13C-labelled branches chip combined with N of 225 mg/kg (BRN1), 180 mg/kg (BRN2), 160 mg/kg (BRN3), 140 mg/kg (BRN4) and 0 mg/kg (BR). Branch residue and N addition increased the net SOC sequestration; the 13C recovered...
Co-inoculation of a halotolerant Bacillus strain and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for improving plant growth in saline soilsOriginal Paper
Xinyu Li, Fahu Li, Lu Wang, Yiming Qian, Tianyu Huang, Jianhong Han, Yongjun Fan
Plant Soil Environ., 2026, 72(5):307-320 | DOI: 10.17221/110/2026-PSE
Soil salinisation is a major factor limiting plant growth and land utilisation in arid and semiarid regions. This study focused on the native halophyte Suaeda salsa in western Inner Mongolia to explore halophyte-associated microbial resources with plant growth-promoting potential under saline conditions. A total of 30 salt-tolerant bacteria strains were isolated from its rhizosphere. Among them, Bacillus infantis strain 29 tolerated up to 10% NaCl (w/v) and exhibited multiple plant-growth-promoting traits, including highly active 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, phosphorus solubilisation,...
A global meta-analysis of fertiliser management on soil available and total zincOriginal Paper
Junyan Ren, Waseem Hassan, Qindi Zhang, Andong Cai
Plant Soil Environ., 2026, 72(5):321-337 | DOI: 10.17221/23/2026-PSE
Soil available and total zinc are important indicators of soil zinc status, yet the global effects of different fertilisation practices on soil available and total zinc and the drivers of their variation remain insufficiently quantified. We conducted a global meta-analysis based on data extracted from published field studies. A total of 1 240 paired observations of soil available zinc from 94 studies and 364 paired observations of soil total zinc from 44 studies published between 1993 and 2024 were compiled. The effects of eight fertiliser types (mineral fertilisers without zinc [CF], compost, manure, zinc fertiliser, CF combined with either compost...
Plant phosphorus availability of pyrolysed pig slurry related to ammonium and nitrate nutritionOriginal Paper
Diedrich Steffens, Ann-Kathrin Nimführ, Lukas Kehm
Plant Soil Environ., 2026, 72(5):338-346 | DOI: 10.17221/524/2025-PSE
Excessive slurry applications in regions with intensive livestock production are overloading soils with phosphates, which can lead to water pollution. Pyrolysis of pig slurry solids creates a fertiliser that is potentially efficient to store and transport, hence creating the opportunity to export it from affected regions. This study aims to quantify the plant availability of phosphorus (P) from the pyrolysed pig slurry in different soils and in combination with the nitrogen application in the form of nitrate (NO3–) and ammonium (NH4+), respectively. A pot experiment with maize seedlings (Zea mays...