Microorganisms are ubiquitous, possess enormous metabolic versatility, and are linked to almost all biogeochemical cycling processes. Cold-adapted microorganisms are a necessity for high-altitude ecosystems and can inhabit many of the extreme environments that no other or little life form exists for example, alpine regions, polar region, permafrost, deep sea, subterranean caverns, etc. These environments are predominantly inhabited by cold-adapted microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, archaea, yeast, and algae. Communities of microorganisms interact with other organisms and their environment and understanding such interactions can be problematic due to the difficulty of growing in vitro, resulting in unexplored microbial diversity in these regions. However, despite continuous scientific research, few studies have been done on their on-field applications and commercialization. Recently, cold-adapted microorganisms have been explored for proteins, enzymes, metabolites, agriculture, and waste management. Nevertheless, the full potential of such indigenous microorganisms has yet to be discover as most microbiological studies are focused on diversity and community structure analysis. Therefore, a detailed investigation of their diversity, survivability, and functionality is necessary.

As well as plant growth promotion, and soil health improvement, cold adapted micro-organisms can be beneficial for bioremediation although very scattered information is available on their cold-active enzymes. Therefore this Research topic aims to gather studies focussing on cold-active metabolites to demonstrate their use and ability in cold-region farming and bioremediation.

This Research Topic aims to cluster the scientific efforts in this field by gathering research on the recent developments, innovations, and technological advancements in the field. Detailed investigations on the applicability of such microorganisms in agriculture, bioremediation, and producing cold-active metabolites are welcomed. Furthermore, biotechnological interventions to unravel their genetic makeup, metabolic behaviour, and other adaptive strategies are highly encouraged.

This Research Topics welcomes manuscripts related (but not limited to) the following themes:
• Microbial diversity and community structure from cold ecosystems
• Omics based studies of cold-adapted microorganisms
• Adaptive strategies and their mechanism of action
• Industrially important cold-active metabolites
• Exploration of cold-adapted microorganisms for bioremediation and sustainability
• Potential role of cold-adapted bioinoculants for improving crop production and soil health
• Recent advancements and innovations in various aspects of low-temperature microbiology research

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Frontiers in Microbiology

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