Inoculated microbial consortia perform better than single strains in living soil: A meta-analysis

Microbial consortium inoculation has been proposed as a natural-based strategy to safeguard multiple ecosystem services. Still, its observed effects and comparisons to single-species inoculation have yet to be systematically quantified. In this global meta-analysis of 51 live-soil studies (carefully selected from a pool of 2149 studies), we compared the impact (mean and variability) of single-species and consortium inoculations on biofertilization and bioremediation. Our results showed that both single-species and consortium inoculations increased plant growth by 29 % and 48 %, respectively, and pollution remediation by 48 % and 80 %, respectively, compared with non-inoculated treatments. We revealed that the diversity of inoculants and the synergistic effect between frequently used inoculums (e.g., Bacillus and Pseudomonas) contributed to the effectiveness of consortium inoculation. Despite a reduction in efficacy in field settings compared to greenhouse results, consortium inoculation had a more significant overall advantage under various conditions. We recommend increasing original soil organic matter, available N, and P content and regulating soil pH to 6–7 to achieve a better inoculation effect. Overall, these findings support the use of microbial consortia for improved biofertilization and bioremediation in living soil and suggest perspectives for constructing and inoculating beneficial microbial consortia.