Effects of Nature-Derived Biostimulants on Wheat Rhizosphere Microbial Biomass, Diversity, and Networks

Abstract

Plant biostimulants are increasingly recognized as natural solutions that enhance plant growth and support sustainable agriculture. However, their effects on soil microbial communities remain poorly understood. This study evaluated three biostimulants: Plantiful™ (fermented marine algae with beneficial bacteria), CelexT07™ (fermented medicinal plants with beneficial bacteria), and Phylgreen™ (seaweed extract), compared with water and conventional NPK fertilization. Rhizospheric microbial biomass, community structure, and metabolic potential were assessed using metabarcoding, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling, and Biolog EcoPlates™ assays. Total microbial biomass did not differ significantly from the untreated control. Similarly, bacterial biomass (7.4–9.8 µg/g soil) remained stable across treatments. Saprotrophic fungal biomass was 2–4-fold lower under PhylgreenTM and CelexT07TM than NPK, but comparable to the control. Bacterial and fungal communities were dominated by Actinobacteriota, Pseudomonadota, Acidobacteriota, Chloroflexota, and Ascomycota, with similar richness and diversity across treatments in wheat rhizosphere soil after 9 weeks of growth. Functional analyses revealed only modest shifts, with AWCD being significantly reduced by 43.5% under Phylgreen™ (64.11) compared with NPK (113.44), while remaining comparable to the untreated control (94.74). The network analysis results were also consistent with the previous results, indicating that biostimulant treatments maintained microbial richness. Overall, these findings support the use of the tested biostimulants as sustainable crop management tools that preserve rhizosphere microbial communities.