Comparative Analysis of the Microbial Diversity and Abundance in the Rhizosphere of Medicinal and Nonmedicinal Plants
Abstract
The rhizospheric microbiome is one of the important factors determining plant health, productivity, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis and differs profoundly between medicinal and nonmedicinal plants. Medicinal plants harbor more specialized and metabolically diverse microbial communities, trained by specialized root exudates that guide disease suppression and bioactive compound synthesis. The rhizospheres of nonmedicinal plants, in contrast, are populated by microbes that contribute to nutrient cycling and growth promotion. Advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and sensing technologies have transformed rhizosphere microbiome research. Machine learning-based multi-omics data integration enables the identification of biosynthetic gene clusters and microbial regulators, and Internet of Things sensors allow real-time soil and microbial process monitoring for precision agriculture. Comparative meta-omics also reveals distinctive microbial signatures in medicinal plant systems, opening up new opportunities for microbiome engineering, biofertilizer development, and natural product discovery. This chapter highlights technological and ecological insights into plant–microbe interactions and advocates for multi-omics integrated strategies, explainable AI models, and long-term experiments to completely harness the potential of rhizospheric microbiomes for sustainable agriculture and biotechnology.
