Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39642005›Full record

ArticlePlant biology (Stuttgart, Germany)2025

Soil health improvements under cover crops are associated with enhanced soil content of cytokinins.

I Perera, A Kisiala, K A Thompson, R J N Emery

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Effect of Deep Placement Fertilization on Soybean (Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

I PereraDepartment of Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
A KisialaDepartment of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
K A ThompsonDepartment of Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
R J N EmeryDepartment of Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1304-6430

Funding

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cytokinins (CKs) are phytohormones produced by plants and other soil life. including bacteria, fungi, insects, and earthworms. These organisms can release CKs to the soil, which may have positive implications for soil health and plant growth. However, no studies have examined phytohormones as soil health indicators. In custom-designed rhizo-pots that separated rhizosphere and bulk soils, the cover crops tillage radish and cereal rye were used to manipulate soil health parameters: soil pH, soil organic matter, soil active carbon, soil microbial community diversity, and extracellular enzyme activities involved in C, N and P cycling. Data were compared to impacts of cover crops on CKs that were purified from the complex soil and measured with HPLC-HRMS/MS. From soil we detected free base-CKs (trans-zeatin (tZ), isopentenyladenine (iP)), riboside-CKs (RB-CKs), cis-zeatin riboside (cZR), isopentenyladenosine (iPR) and four methylthiolated CKs: 2-methylthio-zeatin (2MeSZ), 2-methylthio-zeatin ribosides (2MeSZR), 2-methylthio-isopentenyladenine (2MeSiP), and 2-methylthio-isopentenyladenine riboside (2MeSiPR). These CK levels were significantly enhanced in cover cropped soil compared to uncultivated soil, and reflect a positive relationship between soil CK profiles and other soil health parameters - notably, between total CK and active C levels and soil microbial community diversity. This is the first detailed soil CK analysis and assessment of its potential use as a novel, reliable, short-term soil health parameter. The increased CK concentrations in cover cropped soils likely reflects the activity levels of soil life (plants, microbes, animals) and provides a rationale to use CKs as tools to evaluate soil health as influenced by agricultural management strategies.

Indexed as

Crops, AgriculturalCytokininsPlant Growth RegulatorsRaphanusSecaleSoilRhizosphereSoil MicrobiologyCytokininsPlant Growth RegulatorsSoilCereal ryecover cropscytokininssoil health indicatorssoil microbial communitiestillage radish

Identifiers

PMID39642005
PMCPMC11846634

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.