Molecular Soil Biology 2024, Vol.15, No.4, 151-162 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/msb 158 and nutrient availability are limited. Mycorrhizal fungi can increase root surface area, allowing plants to access more resources and improve overall plant health and productivity (Hakim et al., 2021). By integrating these strategies, dryland farming models can be optimized to enhance root growth and rhizosphere microbial functions in hybrid rice, leading to improved crop yields and sustainable agricultural practices. 8 Case Studies and Practical Applications 8.1 Successful Implementation of Dryland Farming in Rice Cultivation Dryland farming techniques have shown promising results in enhancing root growth and rhizosphere microbial functions in differrent rice varieties. For instance, the use of seaweed extract supplements in combination with reduced chemical fertilizers has been demonstrated to improve the diversity of rhizosphere bacteria, enhance soil nutrient levels, and increase rice yield and quality (Chen et al., 2022). Additionally, the synergistic inoculation of beneficial microbes such as Azotobacter vinelandii and Serendipita indicahas been found to significantly augment rice growth, suggesting that microbial inoculants can be a valuable tool in dryland farming systems (Dabral et al., 2020). Furthermore, moderate soil drying (MSD) is a promising agricultural technique that can reduce water consumption and enhance rhizosheath formation promoting drought resistance in plants. The study (Xu et al.,2022) suggests that the interaction of the endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica with the native soil bacterium Bacillus cereus favors rice rhizosheath formation by auxins modulation in rice and microbes under MSD. This finding reveals a cooperative contribution of P. indica and native microbiota in rice rhizosheath formation under moderate soil drying, which is important for improving water use in agriculture (Figure 3). Figure 3 Rice rhizosheath formation is increased under moderate soil drying (MSD) with P. indica inoculation compared to MSD alone (Adopted from Xu et al., 2022) Note: The non-inoculated and P. indica-inoculated rice seedlings (NIP rice) were cultured under well-watered (WW, A, B) and MSD (C, D) conditions. Rice seedlings (NIP rice) were able to form rhizosheath under MSD or MSD with P. indica-inoculation (MSD +P. indica), but not under WW or WW with P. indica-inoculation (WW + P. indica). Bar = 0.5 cm. The total rhizosheath soil dry weight (E) and specific rhizosheath soil dry weight (F) of three rice varieties (NIP, ZH11 and ZH3) under WW, WW + P. indica, MSD and MSD+ P. indica. The specific rhizosheath dry weight was calculated as the total rhizosheath soil dry weight per plant (mg) divided by the total root length (cm). N.D. indicated that rhizosheath was not detectable. Data are the means ± SE (n = 8 replicates). Bars with different letters among different treatments are significantly different at p < 0.05 (ANOVA, Duncan’s multiple range test). G, H Fluorescence microscopy of rice seedling (NIP rice) roots showing the presence of intracellular P. indica chlamydospores (spores are in green) in cortical cells using confocal microscopy with a superficial view. The image is an X- and Y-stack reconstruction. Rice roots without GFP-tagged P. indica(P. indica–GFP) inoculation were used as a control. Bar = 150 μm (Adopted from Xu et al., 2022)
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