Background and Aims Phosphorus (P) deficiency limits crop productivity. Root hairs are crucial for P acquisition and may influence plant–microbe interactions. We investigated how root-hair defects affect plant responsiveness to beneficial bacteria under low-P conditions, using maize, rice and barley as cereal screening contexts. Methods A greenhouse screen was conducted in sterile low-P soil using three cereal species, 12 geno...

Earthworms play a dual role in the global carbon cycle: they accelerate organic matter decomposition yet are often associated with greater soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. However, uncertainty regarding the mechanisms and magnitudes through which earthworms concurrently influence SOC mineralization and stabilization has limited the integration of soil fauna into carbon models. Here, we synthesize 696 paired observations from...