SynthesisNature ecology & evolution2024
Meta-analysis reveals the effects of microbial inoculants on the biomass and diversity of soil microbial communities.
Synthesis in Nature ecology & evolution, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Survey of scientific production on bio-inputs in Northern and Northeastern Brazil (2010-2025): A focus on plant growth-promoting microorganisms in legumes and grasses.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2026Pooled it
- Crop rotation differentially increases soil bacterial and fungal diversities in global croplands: a meta-analysis.Nature communications · 2025Pooled it
- Top-down/bottom-up consortia achieve robust γ-HCH degradation and reduced methanogenic contribution in wetlands.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2026Article
- Hydrogel-encapsulated microalgae-bacteria consortia for resilient saline agriculture.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2026Review
- Isolation, Identification and Preliminary Remediation Performance Evaluation of Heavy Metal-Tolerant Bacteria from the Mining Area in Northern Shaanxi.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Functional diversity and ecological consequences of endophytic Bacillus-plant interactions.Folia microbiologica · 2026Review
- The Plant-to-Plant Circular Strategy: Coupling Photodegradation and Phytoremediation With Plant-Based Nanomaterials for Plastic Degradation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Effects of Perfluorotetradecanoic Acid (PFTeDA) and Biostimulants on Soil Bacterial Community Structure and Diversity and the Growth ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- PGPR Improves Barley Performance Under Saline Irrigation: Agronomic, Biochemical, and Transcriptional Evidence from a Two-Season Field Study.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Quantifying microbiota impact on plant traits for the guidance of breeding programs.The New phytologist · 2026Article
- Deterministic assembly of rhizosphere bacterial community enables predictable and stable suppression of Verticillium wilt via microbial homeostasis.Microbiome · 2026Article
- Lytic viruses drive the decrease in polyphosphate-accumulating and phosphate-solubilizing potential of microbial communities with increasing reservoir age.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2026Article
- Microbial inoculants with straw mediate degradation-level-specific changes in soil carbon cycling genes and microbial community.Environmental microbiome · 2026Article
- Divergent pathogenic strategies of Fusarium species in Panax notoginseng and biocontrol by a Bacillus-Serratia consortium.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Effects of Microbial Inoculants from Three Nutrient-Poor Environments on Soil Improvement and Plant Growth Promotion in Sandy Soil.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Article
- Recovery of organic waste from a wastewater treatment plant, improved with plant growth promoting bacteria: model ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- By-products of insect farming as a novel sustainable biofertilizer for crops.NPJ sustainable agriculture · 2026Article
- Molasses-amended siderophore biofertilizer reshapes the rhizosphere microbiome, promotes growth and reduces lipid peroxidation inFrontiers in plant science · 2026Article
- Microbiome modulation for sustainable crop production and climate resilience.Sustainable microbiology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Microbial inoculation involves transplanting microorganisms from their natural habitat to new plants or soils to improve plant performance, and it is being increasingly used in agriculture and ecological restoration. However, microbial inoculants can invade and alter the composition of native microbial communities; thus, a comprehensive analysis is urgently needed to understand the overall impact of microbial inoculants on the biomass, diversity, structure and network complexity of native communities. Here we provide a meta-analysis of 335 studies revealing a positive effect of microbial inoculants on soil microbial biomass. This positive effect was weakened by environmental stress and enhanced by the use of fertilizers and native inoculants. Although microbial inoculants did not alter microbial diversity, they induced major changes in the structure and bacterial composition of soil microbial communities, reducing the complexity of bacterial networks and increasing network stability. Finally, higher initial levels of soil nutrients amplified the positive impact of microbial inoculants on fungal biomass, actinobacterial biomass, microbial biomass carbon and microbial biomass nitrogen. Together, our results highlight the positive effects of microbial inoculants on soil microbial biomass, emphasizing the benefits of native inoculants and the important regulatory roles of soil nutrient levels and environmental stress.
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