Molecular Pathogens, 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 217-225 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/mp 223 community-induced resistance: beneficial microorganisms stimulate the immune system of wheat, allowing the plant to produce a more rapid and effective defense response to pathogens (Aasfar et al., 2024). Furthermore, the soil food web exerts control over pathogens: micro-predators such as protozoa consume fungal spores, while Trichoderma fungi parasitize pathogenic fungi, helping to reduce pathogen populations. Through these pathways, stable and diverse rhizosphere microbial communities can maintain pathogenic bacteria at low levels and reduce disease occurrence. Making full use of this natural disease-suppressing function (such as cultivating disease-suppressing soil and improving soil biodiversity) is an important strategy for sustainable crop disease prevention and control. Figure 3 Schematic representation of the mechanism of root exudates for recruitment of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and plant growth-promoting mechanism (Direct and Indirect). SC, Selected compounds; QS, quorum sensing; NM, Nutrient management; AHL, Acyl Homoserine lactone; AIP, Autoinducing peptides; AI-2, Autoinducer; PS, Photosynthetic matter (Adopted from Upadhyay et al., 2022) 8 Environmental and Management Factors Affecting Wheat-Microbe Interactions 8.1 The regulating effect of soil physical and chemical properties and farming system Factors such as soil pH, nutrient status, and farming system significantly affect wheat rhizosphere microbial interactions. Soil pH regulates the bacterial community pattern, with acidic soil fungi being relatively dominant, and neutral and alkaline soil bacteria being more active. Improving soil organic matter and fertility can usually promote the reproduction of beneficial microorganisms and enhance positive interactions; in poor soil, microbial diversity is reduced, and wheat relies more on microorganisms to provide nutrients. Farming methods also have an impact. Conservation tillage (less tillage or no-tillage) and straw return are beneficial to the preservation of beneficial microorganisms such as mycorrhizae, while deep plowing and soil turning will interfere with the habitat of microorganisms (Huang, 2025). Reasonable crop rotation can reduce the accumulation of soil-borne pathogens, adjust the composition of rhizosphere flora, and increase the proportion of beneficial bacteria; long-term single cropping can easily lead to the accumulation of specific pathogens, although sometimes the increase in antagonistic bacteria can also lead to disease self-suppression. Comprehensive use of soil improvement and optimized farming can create more favorable environmental conditions for wheat-microbe interactions. 8.2 Exogenous biological agents and microecological restoration The application of exogenous beneficial microbial preparations is one of the effective means to enhance wheat rhizosphere interaction. Inoculation with PGPR inoculants or mycorrhizal fungus spores can quickly increase the number of beneficial microorganisms in the rhizosphere and enhance nutrient absorption and disease resistance of wheat. For example, the application of phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria can increase the available phosphorus content of the soil, and seed dressing with biocontrol agents containing Bacillus can reduce the incidence of root rot. In order to increase the colonization rate of exogenous bacteria, organic fertilizers, biochar and other materials are often used to improve the soil environment, or slow-release carriers and protective agents are used to optimize
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