About this Research Topic

Background

Zinc, one of the domineering micronutrients, is required in small amounts for the proper growth and development of living organisms. In plants, specifically, it is involved in carbohydrate and auxin metabolism, and acts as a significant antioxidant. Zn-finger transcription factors play an important role in the normal development of floral tissues, flowering, fertilization and fruiting. Zinc deficiency in plants leads to retarded shoot growth, chlorosis, reduced leaf size, susceptibility to heat and light and affects grain yield, water uptake, and transport. Consuming zinc deficient crops can lead to zinc deficiency in humans. Decreasing zinc fertility in agricultural soils requires immediate attention and concrete measures to employ healthy farming alternatives of synthetic chemical fertilizers. The multiplicity of beneficial effects of plant microbiome can be harnessed to develop zinc-based biofertilizers to mitigate zinc deficiency in plants. A growing body of literature demonstrates the potential of zinc mobilizing rhizobacteria to enhance plant productivity and yield in cropping systems.

Zinc fertilizers in the form of zinc sulphates and zinc-EDTA are excessively used in fields, however, they are transformed into insoluble complex forms within a few days of fertilizer application and result in environmental and economic burden. Conventional breeding, crop rotation, and development of transgenic crops have been used to alleviate this widespread micronutrient deficiency, nonetheless, these approaches are expensive and laborious. Exploiting zinc-mobilizing rhizomicrobiome can be a great alternative to chemical fertilizers and has the potential to reduce their use. Designing bio-formulations based on zinc solubilizing rhizomicrobiome and using them in combination with smart farming techniques can combat zinc deficiency in cropping systems and lead to climate-smart and sustainable agriculture. The goal of this research topic is to explore different aspects of plant-zinc mobilizing rhizomicrobiome including the molecular mechanisms involved to meet the growing demand for food and improve the yield and nutritional quality of crops by reducing environmental impact. Moreover, deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms on how plant-bacteria interact when a combination of nutrient-mobilizing microbial communities is used as fertilizer will be of great value and can be harnessed to design customized microbial cocktails.

This Research Topic publishes original, peer-reviewed research that focuses on the interactions between plants and zinc-mobilizing plant growth-promoting, rhizospheric, endophytic, and symbiotic bacteria. We welcome manuscripts that advance the knowledge and understanding of aspects including (but not limited to):
• Nutrient solubilizing microorganisms including plant growth promoting rhizobacteria
• Molecular communication between plants & growth promoting zinc-solubilizing bacteria
• Mechanisms employed by zinc-solubilizing bacteria for enhanced zinc uptake
• Zinc solubilizing bacteria as phytostimulators of crop plants
• Biofertilizers based on zinc-solubilizing bacteria
• Study of zinc solubilizing plant-microbiome
• Pot-scale and field experiments with zinc-solubilizing rhizobacteria & endophytes
• Promotion of plant growth by zinc-mobilizing bacterial endophytes
• Gene regulation of rhizosphere zinc-solubilizing bacterial microbiome

Keywords: zinc, plant microbiome, micronutrient, bio-fertilizers, agriculture

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