Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41844664›Full record

ArticleNPJ biofilms and microbiomes2026

Long-term organic farming shapes the avocado rhizosphere microbiota through the enrichment of drought-tolerant Bacillus spp.

Blanca Ruiz-Muñoz, Kevin M Bretscher, Víctor J Carrión, Francisco M Cazorla, José A Gutiérrez-Barranquero

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in NPJ biofilms and microbiomes, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

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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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

5 authors.

Blanca Ruiz-MuñozDepartamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.
Kevin M BretscherInstitute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Víctor J CarriónDepartamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.
Francisco M CazorlaDepartamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.
José A Gutiérrez-BarranqueroDepartamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain. jagutierrez@uma.es.

Funding

Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (Spain) PID2021-123713OB-I00
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Long-term farming practices leave an imprint on soil microbiomes, but how these changes influence crop drought resilience remains poorly understood. Here, we examined avocado orchards managed organically or conventionally for two decades and recurrently exposed to drought, to assess how management history shapes the rhizosphere microbiota and its contribution to plant stress tolerance. Organic and conventional systems resulted in distinct soil physicochemical profiles that were associated with shifts in rhizosphere microbial community composition. Organic management was characterized by higher soil pH, phosphorus availability, water content, and C:N ratio, together with a consistent enrichment of spore-forming bacteria, especially members of the Bacillaceae family. We established a culture collection from the organic rhizosphere, dominated by Bacillaceae, and identified three top-performing strains: Bacillus halotolerans B19 and B21, and Bacillus subtilis B26. In greenhouse assays, B. halotolerans strains mitigated drought stress by preserving biomass and reducing leaf proline accumulation, while B. subtilis provided partial protection. Gene expression analysis revealed strain-specific responses that nonetheless converged on bdh (2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase) induction, highlighting a common mechanism for drought mitigation. Together, these findings establish a mechanistic link between long-term organic farming and microbial functions underpinning drought resilience in perennial agroecosystems, paving the way for climate-smart farming strategies.

Indexed as

BacillusMicrobiotaPerseaRhizosphereSoil MicrobiologyAgricultureDrought ResistanceDroughtsSoilSoil

Identifiers

PMID41844664
PMCPMC13230792

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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.