Doctor Chao Xiong
Dr Chao Xiong is a Research Fellow in the Institute. His research interests centre on soil and plant microbiomes, environmental pathogens, and plant-microbiome interactions. He is currently working with Distinguished Professor Brajesh Singh on exploring the global distribution of soil-borne pathogens within the Soil Biology and Genomics theme.
Dr Xiong joined HIE in 2023 as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow working with Distinguished Professor Brajesh Singh. His current research focuses on harnessing microbiome functions to improve soil and plant health, and developing shotgun metagenomics-based workflows to identify potential human pathogens along the soil–plant–food continuum.
Dr Xiong obtained his PhD from the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2021, where he studied how multiple host and environmental factors shaped the assembly and functions of microbial communities along the soil-root-leaf continuum.
His previous research works included host selection impacts on crop microbiome assembly, the temporal dynamics of the plant microbiome, dominant diazotrophic taxa of crop microbiomes, and microbiome diversity and functions along the soil–plant continuum.
Areas of Research
Soil and plant microbiomes, environmental pathogens, plant-microbiome interactions, and microbiome functions.
Awards and recognition
Boya Postdoctoral Fellowship, Peking University, China (2021)
Selected Publications
Batista BD, Wang J, Liu H, Kaur S, Macdonald CA, Qiu Z, Trivedi P, Delgado-Baquerizo M, Xiong C, Liang J, Bange M, Singh BK, (2024) 'Biotic and abiotic responses to soilborne pathogens and environmental predictors of soil health', Soil Biology and Biochemistry, vol.189, Article no. 109246
Bai R, Hu H-W, Zhou M, Sheng J, Xiong C, Guo Y, Yuan Y, Hou L, Zhang W-H, Bai W, (2023) 'Effects of long-term mowing on leaf- and root-associated bacterial community structures are linked to functional traits in 11 plant species from a temperate steppe', Functional Ecology, 00:1–15
Singh P, Vaishnav A, Liu H, Xiong C, Singh HB, Singh BK, (2023) 'Seed biopriming for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem restoration', Microbial Biotechnology, vol.16, no.12, pp 2212-2222
Yang T, Xiong C, Zhou J, Zhang W, Qian X, (2023) 'Phyllosphere Mycobiome: Diversity and Function', In: Rashad YM, Baka ZAM, Moussa TAA (eds). 'Plant Mycobiome: Diversity, Interactions and Uses'. Springer International Publishing: Cham, pp 63-120
Zhu Y-G, Peng J, Chen C, Xiong C, Li S, Ge A, Wang E, Liesack W, (2023) 'Harnessing biological nitrogen fixation in plant leaves', Trends Plant Sci:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2023.05.009
Xiong C, Lu Y, (2022) 'Microbiomes in agroecosystem: Diversity, function and assembly mechanisms', Environ Microbiol Rep, 14:833-49
Zhu YG, Xiong C, Wei Z, Chen QL, Ma B, Zhou SYD, Tan J, Zhang LM, Cui HL, Duan GL, (2022) 'Impacts of global change on the phyllosphere microbiome', New Phytol, 234:1977-86
Yan Z, Xiong C, Liu H, Singh BK, (2022) 'Sustainable agricultural practices contribute significantly to One Health', Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment:1–12
Shen C, Wang J, Jing Z, Qiao N, Xiong C, Ge Y, (2022) 'Plant diversity enhances soil fungal network stability indirectly through the increase of soil carbon and fungal keystone taxa richness', Science of The Total Environment, 818:151737
Ge A, Liang Z, Han L, Xiao J, Zhang Y, Zeng Q, Xiang J, Xiong C, Zhang L, (2022) 'Rootstock rescues watermelon from Fusarium wilt disease by shaping protective root-associated microbiomes and metabolites in continuous cropping soils', Plant and Soil:1-20
Xiong C, Singh BK, He JZ, Han YL, Li PP, Wan LH, Meng GZ, Liu SY, Wang JT, Wu CF, Ge AH, Zhang LM, (2021) 'Plant developmental stage drives the differentiation in ecological role of the maize microbiome', Microbiome, 9:171
Xiong C, Zhu YG, Wang JT, Singh BK, Han LL, Shen JP, Li PP, Wang GB, Wu CF, Ge AH, Zhang LM, He JZ, (2021) 'Host selection shapes crop microbiome assembly and network complexity', New Phytol, 229:1091-104
Xiong C, He JZ, Singh BK, Zhu YG, Wang JT, Li PP, Zhang QB, Han LL, Shen JP, Ge AH, Wu CF, Zhang LM, (2021) 'Rare taxa maintain the stability of crop mycobiomes and ecosystem functions', Environ Microbiol, 23:1907-24
Gao M, Xiong C, Gao C, Tsui CKM, Wang MM, Zhou X, Zhang AM, Cai L, (2021) 'Disease-induced changes in plant microbiome assembly and functional adaptation', Microbiome, 9:187
Ge AH, Liang ZH, Xiao JL, Zhang Y, Zeng Q, Xiong C, Han LL, Wang JT, Zhang LM, (2021) 'Microbial assembly and association network in watermelon rhizosphere after soil fumigation for Fusarium wilt control', Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 312:107336
Bi L, Yu D, Du S, Zhang L, Zhang L, Wu C, Xiong C, Han L, He J-Z, (2021) 'Diversity and potential biogeochemical impacts of viruses in bulk and rhizosphere soils', Environ Microbiol, 23:588-99
