Plant Microbiome Engineering: Expected Benefits for Improved Crop Growth and Resilience

Abstract

Plant-associated microbiomes can boost plant growth or control pathogens. Altering the microbiome by inoculation with a consortium of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can enhance plant development and mitigate against pathogens as well as abiotic stresses. Manipulating the plant holobiont by microbiome engineering is an emerging biotechnological strategy to improve crop yields and resilience. Indirect approaches to microbiome engineering include the use of soil amendments or selective substrates, and direct approaches include inoculation with specific probiotic microbes, artificial microbial consortia, and microbiome breeding and transplantation. We highlight why and how microbiome services could be incorporated into traditional agricultural practices and the gaps in knowledge that must be answered before these approaches can be commercialized in field applications.

Keywords: beneficial plant–microbe interactions; biocontrol; biostimulant; disease resistance; microbial biofertilizer; microbial biopesticide; microbial community; plant growth promotion; rhizosphere; soil amendment; soil conditioner; soil microbiome engineering.