Aug 2026· Folia Microbiologica (Prague)· 0 citations· 101 references
Medicine
TL;DR
This review critically synthesizes current understanding of rhizosphere communication and root exudate-mediated signalling mechanisms that promote beneficial plant microbe interactions, while examining the biological and technological challenges that affect their application in the field.
Plant–microbe interaction is an essential component of sustainable agriculture which promotes plant growth, improves nutrient assimilation, and enhances plant resistance to various environmental stress conditions. Beneficial microbes, such as rhizobacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, and endophytes, boost plant functions using molecular signaling, phytohormone modification, systemic resistance induction, and pathogen antagonism. The use of new multi-omics techniques has uncovered complicated communication systems mediated by root exudates, recognition via receptors and microbial community functioning. In this review, the current understanding of the molecular basis of plant–microbe associations and their roles in combating drought, salinity, temperature, and heavy metals stresses is summarized. Special attention is paid to the promising approach based on microbiome engineering, synthetic communities and next generation biofertilizers for climate-smart agriculture. The main difficulties associated with environmental fluctuations, host specificity, inconsistency at field scale, and the lack of omics and bioinoculant validation guidelines are also highlighted.
Bishal Sarkar, Saumendu Deb Roy· Discover Plants· 0 citations
Abstract Rhizobacteria play a central role in supporting plant growth, contributing to nutrient acquisition, stress tolerance and disease suppression. Harnessing and improving rhizosphere microbial communities therefore represents a promising avenue towards more sustainable agriculture. Recent advances in microbiome ecology and synthetic biology have enabled the rational design of microbial consortia. Synthetic communities are widely used as tractable models to study ecological interactions and are increasingly explored as biofertilizers and biocontrol agents. Here, we define engineered microbial communities (EngComs) as microbial consortia augmented with strains carrying synthetic genetic circuits. These systems extend SynCom approaches by enabling programmable functions, such as intercellular communication, division of labour, biosensing and controlled nutrient mobilization, ultimately improving functional stability in complex environments. Beyond bacteria–bacteria interactions, we highlight emerging strategies to engineer plant–microbe interfaces through synthetic signalling pathways and multi-input genetic circuits that enable context-dependent responses. Despite this progress, the engineering of rhizobacteria for real soil environments remains at an early stage. Most systems are still characterized in simplified or artificial conditions, and key challenges persist, including environmental complexity, genetic stability, biocontainment and regulatory constraints. Addressing these limitations will be essential to translate engineered functions from laboratory settings to the field. Overall, continued integration of synthetic biology with ecological and biophysical understanding of the rhizosphere will pave the way for programmable plant–microbe systems, offering new opportunities to enhance crop productivity while reducing environmental impact.
Elena Garcia-Perez, Louis Perrin, Jacob G. Malone et al.· Microbiology· 0 citations
Overall, microbial biostimulants offer a promising tool for enhancing IPM in biodiversity-rich botanical gardens, although further long-term validation is needed to fully assess their sustainability and effectiveness.
Ayaz Ahmad, Mian Muhammad Ahmed, Muhammad Saud Khan et al.· Journal of Zoological and Bo...· 0 citations
Sustainable agriculture requires strategies that enhance crop productivity while reducing dependence on chemical inputs which are efficient, profitable, eco-friendly and conserve or enhance renewable resources. Microorganisms play a vital role in maintaining soil texture, health and fertility. Plant-associated methylotrophic bacteria, particularly Methylobacterium spp. (pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs, PPFMs), have gained attention as effective biofertilizers and biocontrol agents. These bacteria are widely distributed in the phyllosphere and rhizosphere of plants, where they utilize plant-derived methanol for growth and establish beneficial associations with host plants. Methylobacterium promotes plant development through multiple mechanisms, including phytohormone production, nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, siderophore synthesis, and improved nutrient uptake. They also enhance plant defense by inducing systemic resistance, producing antimicrobial compounds, and competing with pathogens for nutrients and colonization sites. Additionally, their ability to tolerate environmental stress and degrade toxic compounds supports plant resilience under adverse conditions. Overall, Methylobacterium spp. offers a sustainable alternative approach for improving crop productivity, maintaining soil health, and reducing reliance on agrochemicals.
K. R. Sharmi, R. Poorniammal, S. Prabhu et al.· Journal of Pure and Applied...· 0 citations
This mini-review examines the role of rhizosphere microbiomes associated with cereal crops as functional models for extraterrestrial agriculture within closed ecological systems. The rhizosphere microbiome, conceptualized as a plant’s “second genome,” plays a central role in nutrient acquisition, stress resilience, and disease suppression through complex plant–microbe interactions. The review synthesizes current knowledge on microbiome assembly, emphasizing the contributions of soil-derived, seed-borne, and host genotype-dependent microbial communities. Particular attention is given to biological nitrogen fixation and other nutrient-mobilizing processes mediated by plant growth-promoting microorganisms, which are critical in environments where synthetic inputs are limited. Furthermore, the paper explores microbiome-mediated mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance, including hormonal regulation and metabolic adaptation under extreme conditions. Advances in microbiome engineering - such as synthetic microbial consortia, host-mediated selection, and microbiome transplantation - are discussed as strategies to enhance plant productivity in controlled and resource-constrained environments, including space-based greenhouses. Finally, key translational challenges are identified, including context-dependent inoculant performance, ecological compatibility, and the gap between laboratory findings and field application. The review highlights the necessity of integrating multi-omics approaches, precision breeding, and genome editing technologies to fully exploit microbiome-assisted agriculture for sustainable extraterrestrial food production.
Microbial innovations are increasingly recognized as important components of sustainable agriculture because of their potential to improve nutrient availability, soil health, crop protection and plant resilience while reducing dependence on resource-intensive agricultural inputs. This review synthesizes recent advances in agricultural microbiomes and beneficial microorganisms, with particular emphasis on plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, endophytes, mycorrhizal fungi, actinomycetes and microbial consortia. Their roles in biological nitrogen fixation, nutrient solubilization, nutrient cycling, pathogen suppression, modulation of plant defense and enhancement of tolerance to drought, salinity and other environmental stresses are examined. The review further evaluates emerging approaches, including microbiome engineering, synthetic microbial communities, synthetic biology, multi-omics and artificial intelligence, that are enabling more targeted and function-oriented microbial interventions. Despite substantial advances, translation from laboratory and controlled-environment studies to consistent field performance remains constrained by environmental variability, poor microbial establishment and persistence, formulation and shelf-life limitations, scale-up challenges, biosafety concerns and regulatory uncertainty. An integrated crop-soil-microbiome approach, supported by ecologically adapted strains or consortia, improved delivery systems, multi-location validation, standardized quality control and data-driven microbial selection, is therefore essential for reliable field application. Future microbial technologies should be evaluated not only for biological efficacy but also for agronomic performance, economic feasibility, environmental safety and compatibility with existing crop-management practices. Such integration can strengthen the contribution of microbial biotechnology to resource-efficient, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable agricultural production.
M. Kanimozhi, Vijay Kumar, Laxmi Rawat et al.· Genetics and Molecular Resea...· 0 citations
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