Yuanyuan Bu^1,2 , Siyuan Gao^1,2 , Shenkui Liu³ , Ruisheng Song³

1 Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration (Northeast Forestry University), Ministry of Education, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang, China
2 College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang, China
3 State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, 311300, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Molecular Soil Biology, 2024, Vol. 15, No. 1   doi: 10.5376/msb.2024.15.0003
Received: 07 Dec., 2023    Accepted: 11 Jan., 2024    Published: 23 Jan., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Bu Y.Y., Gao S.Y., Liu S.K., and Song R.S., 2024, Innovative strategies for soil health restoration in saline-alkali environments: leveraging engineered synthetic microbial communities (SynComs), Molecular Soil Biology, 15(1): 17-27 (doi: 10.5376/msb.2024.15.0003)

Degradation of soil health in saline-alkali environments poses significant challenges to agricultural productivity and ecosystem sustainability. Traditional soil remediation methods often struggle to address the complex issues of salinity and alkalinity effectively. This study explores innovative strategies for restoring soil health using engineered synthetic microbial communities (SynComs). SynComs are custom-designed microbial consortia that can enhance nutrient cycling, promote plant growth, and improve soil structure. By introducing these beneficial microbial consortia into saline-alkali soils, SynComs offer a promising solution to mitigate adverse impacts and restore soil fertility. This paper reviews current research on the application of SynComs in soil health restoration, identifies key microbial functions and interactions, and discusses the potential applications and benefits of this integrated approach. The findings highlight the transformative potential of SynComs in developing sustainable strategies for soil health restoration, thereby contributing to agricultural resilience and ecosystem sustainability.

Synthetic microbial communities; Saline-alkali environments; Soil health; Soil restoration; Agricultural resilience