Plant Microbiome Engineering for Disease Resistance and Growth Promotion

• Author(s): Raveendra B Hujaratti
• Paper ID: 1707246
• Page: 153-163
• Published Date: 28-02-2018
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 1 Issue 8 February-2018

Abstract

This review paper critically examines the theoretical and conceptual foundations of plant microbiome engineering as a promising strategy for enhancing disease resistance and promoting growth in plants, emphasizing the intricate relationships between plants and their microbiota, which collectively form a dynamic and functional ecosystem that influences plant health and productivity; the plant-associated microbiome, comprising bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses, plays a pivotal role in regulating plant immunity, nutrient acquisition, stress tolerance, and overall growth, with evidence suggesting that specific microbial communities can directly influence plant disease resistance by either outcompeting or inhibiting plant pathogens, modulating plant defense mechanisms, or inducing systemic resistance pathways, thus providing an alternative or complementary approach to traditional chemical control methods; microbiome manipulation for growth promotion has been shown to be effective through the addition of beneficial microorganisms, including plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and mycorrhizal fungi, which enhance nutrient availability, improve water uptake, and modulate hormone signaling, contributing to increased plant biomass, yield, and resilience under abiotic stress conditions; however, challenges persist in understanding the complexity and specificity of plant-microbe interactions, as microbial communities vary greatly depending on environmental factors, plant genotype, and the developmental stage of the plant, which complicates the design of universal microbiome engineering strategies; several studies have demonstrated the potential of microbiome engineering through methods such as inoculation with targeted microorganisms, use of genetically modified microbes, and soil or root microbiota transplantation, but the lack of a comprehensive understanding of microbial community structure-function relationships and the long-term stability of engineered microbiomes remains a significant barrier to field applications; moreover, ethical concerns regarding the release of genetically modified microorganisms and the impact of microbiome alterations on ecosystem dynamics need further investigation; the review also highlights the importance of integrating metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, and culturomic approaches to profile microbiomes and identify key microbial players responsible for plant health outcomes, while advocating for the need for interdisciplinary approaches combining microbiology, genomics, plant physiology, and ecological modeling to develop sustainable and effective microbiome-based disease management and growth promotion strategies, with a call for future research to address current gaps in knowledge and application.

Keywords

Plant Microbiome, Disease Resistance, Growth Promotion, Microbiome Engineering, Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR), Microbial Community Dynamics

Citations

IRE Journals:
Raveendra B Hujaratti "Plant Microbiome Engineering for Disease Resistance and Growth Promotion" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 1 Issue 8 2018 Page 153-163

IEEE:
Raveendra B Hujaratti "Plant Microbiome Engineering for Disease Resistance and Growth Promotion" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 1(8)