The rhizosphere microenvironment is the site of nutrient circulation and microbial community formation, and thus is an ongoing topic of research. Although research on this topic is extensive, studies into the rhizosphere microenvironment of fruit trees remain rare. To elucidate the mechanisms driving the fruit tree rhizosphere microenvironment, we assessed soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, the community-level physiological profile (CLPP) and microbial diversity in rhizospheric soils of eight common deciduous fruit trees in northern China. We found that the available minerals, pH, enzyme activities, microbial utilization of six types of carbon (C) substrates, and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere varied among tree species. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that rhizosphere microenvironmental parameters (ammonia nitrogen content, soil pH and invertase activity) were closely related to the soil microbial community. Further analysis revealed that the soil microbial utilization of six C sources, nitrate nitrogen content, and invertase activity were negatively correlated with Ambiguous species and Alternaria; however, these groups were positively correlated with pH. The ammonia nitrogen content was positively correlated with C source utilization and negatively correlated with Ambiguous, Lysobacter, Nitrospira, Alternaria, Fusarium, and Colletotrichum. Interestingly, invertase was closely linked to the microbial community, especially fungal diversity, and was positively correlated with plant-beneficial microbes such as Mortierella, Geomyces, Lysobacter, and Chaetomium, but negatively correlated with pathogenic microbes such as Alternaria, Fusarium, and Colletotrichum. Hence, rhizosphere soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities and microbial community were significantly affected by tree species. Additionally, a variety of environmental factors were closely related to the microbial community in the rhizospheric soils of eight species of deciduous fruit trees.

Malic acid is a component of the rhizosphere exudate and is vital for crop growth. However, little information is available about the effects of external applications of malic acid on the nutrient absorption and quality of grape fruit, and few studies have been performed on the relationship between the changes in the rhizosphere microbial community and nutrient absorption and fruit quality of grapes after adding malic acid. Here, the LM (low concentration of malic acid) and HM (high concentration of malic acid) treatments comprised 5% and 10% malic acid (the ratio of acid to the total weight of the fertilizer) combined with NPK fertilizer, respectively. Applying malic acid changed the grape rhizosphere microbial community structure and community-level physiological profile (CLPP) significantly, and HM had a positive effect on the utilization of substrates. The microbial community structure in the rhizosphere of the grapes with added malic acid was closely related to the CLPP. The N and P content in the leaves and fruits increased after applying malic acid compared to the control, while K content in the fruits increased significantly. In addition, malic acid significantly reduced the weight per fruit, significantly increased soluble sugar content (SSC) and vitamin C content of the fruit, and significantly improved the fruit sugar-acid ratio and grape tasting score. Moreover, the principal component analysis and grape nutrient and fruit quality scores showed that grape nutrients and fruit quality were significantly affected by malic acid and ranked as 5% malic acid > 10% malic acid > control. Pearson’s correlation heatmap of microbial composition, nutrient absorption and fruit quality of the grapes showed that the grape microbial community was closely related to grape nutrients and fruit quality. Adding malic acid was positively correlated to Planococcaceae, Bacillaceae, Woeseiaceae and Rhodobacteraceae. Furthermore, Planococcaceae, Bacillaceae, Woeseiaceae and Rhodobacteraceae were closely related to grape nutrient absorption and fruit quality. Bacillaceae and Woeseiaceae were positively correlated with total soluble sugar, while Planococcaceae and Rhodobacteraceae were positively correlated with titratable acid. Hence, Bacillaceae and Woeseiaceae were the key bacteria that played a major role in grape fruit quality and nutrient absorption after applying malic acid water-soluble fertilizer.

Changes in microbial community structure are widely known to occur after soil amendment with low-molecular-weight organic compounds; however, there is little information on concurrent changes in soil microbial functional diversity and enzyme activities, especially following sorbitol and mannitol amendment. Soil microbial functional diversity and enzyme activities can be impacted by sorbitol and mannitol, which in turn can alter soil fertility and quality. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of sorbitol and mannitol addition on microbial functional diversity and enzyme activities. The results demonstrated that sorbitol and mannitol addition altered the soil microbial community structure and improved enzyme activities. Specifically, the addition of sorbitol enhanced the community-level physiological profile (CLPP) compared with the control, whereas the CLPP was significantly inhibited by the addition of mannitol. The results of a varimax rotated component matrix demonstrated that carbohydrates, polymers, and carboxylic acids affected the soil microbial functional structure. Additionally, we found that enzyme activities were affected by both the concentration and type of inputs. In the presence of high concentrations of sorbitol, the urease, catalase, alkaline phosphatase, β-glucosidase, and N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase activities were significantly increased, while invertase activity was decreased. Similarly, this increase in invertase, catalase, and alkaline phosphatase and N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase activities was especially evident after mannitol addition, and urease activity was only slightly affected. In contrast, β-glucosidase activity was suppressed at the highest concentration. These results indicate that microbial community diversity and enzyme activities are significantly affected by soil amendment with sorbitol and mannitol.

As the world’s largest producer of kiwifruit, China faces significant yield and quality losses due to the widespread occurrence of kiwifruit root rot. To explore alternative biological control strategies for kiwifruit root rot, this study isolated 11 fungal isolates from diseased kiwifruit roots and identified Fusarium solani as the primary pathogen. Additionally, a biocontrol strain, Bacillus subtilis C3, was isolated from the rhizosphere of healthy kiwifruit and shown to significantly inhibit pathogen growth. The B. subtilis C3 strain effectively controls root rot via multiple mechanisms, including direct antagonism, secretion of antimicrobial proteins, promotion of seedling growth, and induction of plant defense enzymes. In pot and field trials, C3 treatment increased root fresh weight by 84.1%, enhanced root SOD and APX activities by 45.7 and 38.2%, respectively, and reduced disease severity. Moreover, C3 improved rhizosphere soil microbial diversity of the Rhizosphere, with the Shannon index increasing from 3.0 to 3.4. Unlike previous studies focusing solely on pathogen suppression, this work highlights the dual role of B. subtilis C3 in controlling root rot and restoring rhizosphere ecological function, offering a green and sustainable biocontrol strategy for kiwifruit production.