Microbial Communities and Functions Contribute to Plant Performance under Various Stresses

Plants are the key players in terrestrial ecosystems. Since the plants conquered the land, they have been subjected to various stresses such as drought, stagnant, soil compaction, salinity, acidity, alkalinity, nutrient deficit, toxicants, pathogens, etc., the evolution and performance of the terrestrial ecosystems. Plants gained the ability to recruit beneficial microorganisms for their adaptation in stressed environments. On the other hand, plants are also vulnerable to pathogenic microorganisms. In particular, soil bacteria and fungi play critical roles in plant performance and health. Stressed environments are widespread, especially nowadays in the context of climate change and other anthropogenic activities. The topical issue aims to provide a collection of in-depth investigations on the roles and mechanisms of microorganisms in influencing plant physiology and development subjected to environmental stress(es).

Climate change and other anthropogenic activities are likely to affect the frequency and intensity of extreme events and create a stressed environment that impacted plant health and food security; the interactions of microbes and plants in such contexts deserve more in-depth understanding. The scientific community has carried out extensive research: to decipher the underlying mechanisms of microorganism assembly, resilience towards stresses, thresholds of benefits, and tolerance; to understand the generalization of mechanisms, the molecular scale of universal signalling, horizontal and vertical gene transfer; and to unify understanding on microbial and plant metabolisms under various stresses. This Research Topic aims to bring together advance knowledge and cutting-edge information to integrate microbes and plants to provide a more sustainable future for our ecosystems.

Manuscripts in the forms of research, review, meta-analysis, novel idea, concept, viewpoint, and methodology are welcome. In particular, manuscripts focus on plant-centred investigations in the context of stressed environments, such as plant-driven microbial assembly, effects of microbes on plant-soil feedback, soil biogeochemistry, plant physiology and development at different levels, nutrient recycling, the fate of trace elements, and disease resistance. Both laboratory and field studies at individual, population, community, or ecosystem scales are welcomed. Holistic investigation with the integration of omics and bioinformatics is especially encouraged.