The rhizosphere comprises the small zones immediately surrounding plant roots in the soil, in which the kinds, numbers and activities of microorganisms differ from that in the bulk soil (Gregorich et al., 2001). Included are the microorganisms and the organic and inorganic materials released by the roots themselves. The rhizosphere is thus a poorly defined zone around any root, commonly extending out no more than 1 or 2 mm but occasionally as far as 20 mm. The name was originally proposed in 1904 by Hiltner for the volume of soil near legume roots in which the growth of heterotrophic bacteria might be stimulated by the nitrogen released from nodules (Neal et al., 1970). The meaning has since been expanded to cover roots of all plants.
The root surface and adhering soil particles are called the rhizoplane. It is rather distinct as compared to the rhizosphere. It is where microorganisms invade and modify the viscous mucilaginous coatings on the epidermal surfaces of roots.
The microbial...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Gelsomino, A., Keijzer-Wolters, A.C., Cacco, G., and van Elsas, J.D., 1999. Assessment of bacterial community structure in soil by polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. J. Microbiol Meth., 38: 1–15.
Gregorich, E.G., Turchenek, L.W., Carter, M.R., and Angers, D.A., 2001. Soil and Environmental Science Dictionary. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 577 pp.
Macura, J., 1967. Physiological studies of rhizosphere bacteria. In Gray, T.R.G., and Parkinson, D., eds., The Ecology of Soil Bacteria. Liverpool: University Press, pp. 379–395.
Marschner, P., Yang, C.-H., Lieberei, R., and Crowley, D.E., 2001. Soil and plant specific effects on bacterial community composition in the rhizosphere. Soil Biol. Biochem., 33: 1437–1445.
Neal, J.L., Jr., Atkinson, T.G., and Larson, R.I., 1970. Changes in the rhizosphere microflora of spring wheat induced by disomic substitution of a chromosome. Can. J. Microbiol., 16: 153–158.
Richards, R.A., Watt, M., and Rebetzke, G.J., 2007. Physiological traits and cereal germplasm for sustainable agricultural systems. Euphytica, 154: 409–425.
Rovira, A.D., and McDougall, B.M., 1967. Microbiological and biochemical aspects of the rhizosphere. In McLaren, A.D., and Peterson, G.H., eds., Soil Biochemistry, Vol. 1. New York: Marcel Dekker, pp. 417–463.
Sylvia, D.M., Fuhrmann, J.J., Hartel, P.G., and Zuberer, D.A., 2005. Principles and Applications of Soil Microbiology. 2nd edn. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall, 640 pp.
van Elsas, J.D., and Smalla, K., 1997. Methods for sampling soil microbes. In: Hurst, C.J., Knudsen, G.R., McInerney, M.J., Stetzenbach, L.D., and Walter, M.V., Ed., Manual of Environmental Microbiology. Washington, DC: ASM Press, pp. 383–390.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer
About this entry
Cite this entry
Meek, B.D., Chesworth, W., Spaargaren, O., Herlihy, M. (2008). Rhizosphere. In: Chesworth, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Soil Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3995-9_487
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3995-9_487
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-3994-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-3995-9
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences