A brief on Root Exudate and its role in soil health sustainability via microbial growth


 Image: Exudate from sorghum root hair, contains 80-90% of sorgoleone—an important allelochemical. (Source: USDA)


One major concern of every passionate farmer is the health of the soil and a healthy crop growth.

However, the latter has gained more attention than the former. The health of the former is not only dependent on the management measures carried out on it, but is also dependent on the state of crops, especially it's root. This is possible due to a form of secretion from plant roots called exudates.

Root exudates are secretions emitted through the root of plants. They are substances taking spaces in the rhizophere. 

These secretions affect greatly the rhizophere, laying around the root inhibiting microbes that can be harmful to beneficial soil microorganisms in the soil.

On soil-plant relationship, the root exudate impacts it via the mechanism of dispersion as stated by UK soil science researcher, Hallet and as this dispersion takes place, the soil is been weakened there by exposing the plant root to new soil nutrients not taken up by the plant before.

Root exudates are made up of mainly polymers, organic acids, amino acids vitamins and sugar which in turn are nutrients sources for soil microorganisms in its ecosystem. Soil microorganisms feed on root exudate and get a larger amount of it respired off as CO2.

The importance of microorganisms in the soil cannot be overemphasized and hence their lives cannot be risked. Soil microorganisms are essential key players in the soil ecosystem in maintaining soil health by creating pores for aeration, nutrient cycling and soil structure sustainability.

However, as this exudate is secreted to feed the microbial community, some plants can be infected by disease and pest which can reduce and inhibit the effectiveness of emitted exudates.

In maintaining a healthy soil; a cycle thus exist between root exudates, soil and soil microorganisms. Since exudates play a role in both crop production and soil health, it can affect the soil and the soil can affect it.

Comments

  1. Kelvin Harrison3 November 2021 at 22:56

    A very good read for me this morning. However, since this exudates are nutrient sources for soil microbes, what then is the defense mechanism/active ingredients seeming used to ward of detrimental soil microbes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ugwu Erochukwu Shedrach9 November 2021 at 00:44

      "These secretions affect greatly the rhizophere, laying around the root inhibiting microbes that can be harmful to beneficial soil microorganisms in the soil.
      "

      This was stated above

      Delete

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