About this Research Topic

Background

Keys to sustainable food production systems include the maintenance of soil health through mechanisms such as vital plant-microbe interactions in the soil rhizosphere as well as other soil management practices. To mention a few, these practices involve low external chemical inputs, crop improvement for high yield, control of phytopathogens as well as alleviation of various abiotic stresses. Under the circumstances in which these scenarios are not met in a given agroecology system, together with the lack of modern crop production technologies and availability of improved crop varieties, the productivity of crop plants drastically decreases. The main consequence is food insecurity and impoverishment of livelihoods worldwide. Sustainable food production systems need to increase awareness about the important roles of microbes in food production, food processing and maintenance.



Concerning food production, special attention is paid to the biological nitrogen-fixing microorganisms, which help reduce the agrochemical inputs in crop production. In terms of diseases, many crops are vulnerable to attack by several pests and pathogens. The use of chemicals to reduce the impact of pests and diseases is limited, relatively ineffective and has adverse effects on the environment. Biological controls, on the other hand, are more environmentally friendly as well as cost-effective and thus are becoming increasingly popular in plant protection. This contributes to sustainable agriculture, food security and increased biodiversity.

Intensive agricultural practices over the past several decades resulted in widespread environmental hazards including soil degradation, biodiversity loss, eutrophication and reduced crop productivity posing a huge global food security crisis. These prompted the need for a more sustainable farming system to ensure global food security. Among the vital aspects of sustainable crop production systems is the maintenance of soil health, which is essential for long-term sustainability and agricultural productivity with less environmental impact. The healthier the soil, the greater will be its functionality in terms of controlling pests and diseases, forming symbiotic associations with plant roots, recycling plant nutrients by microbes and ultimately leading to improved crop production.



Maintaining soil health for maximum benefits in a sustainable crop production system could thus be achieved mainly by reducing or replacing intensive agricultural practices with other alternatives. The use and application of beneficial microorganisms either as biocontrol agents to fight pests and diseases or as biofertilizers to improve nutrient acquisition by plants is both costs effective and environmentally safe. Advances in agricultural biotechnology such as next-generation sequencing have unravelled several beneficial genes and traits in both plants and their microbial counterparts and are of paramount importance to enhance sustainable agriculture.

This Research Topic aims to present a collection of articles that provide a snapshot of research which generate baseline data and information that contribute to sustainable food production systems. Manuscripts dealing with studies on plant-microbe interactions including both free-living and symbiotic nitrogen-fixing microorganisms under laboratory, greenhouse or field experiments are welcome for this research topic. Moreover, manuscripts covering the deployment of biological control agents in crop protection, including the application of endophytic fungi, bacteria, and bacteriophages, to more fundamental questions relating to how biological control can contribute to sustainable food production are welcome. Studies that report on crop improvement through breeding for high yield, nutritional quality as well as drought and other abiotic stress tolerance are considered for publication under this section. Papers that report the application and/or benefits of modern molecular sequencing techniques such as next-generation sequencing to unravel some important mechanisms in the soil rhizosphere or sustainable cropping systems can also be submitted under this Research Topic.

Keywords: bio-control, agroecosystem, crop improvement, microbial inoculant, plant yield component nitrogen fixation, rhizosphere

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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