About this Research Topic

Background

Soil biodiversity plays a vital role in both ecosystem health and agricultural productivity. Microorganisms are crucial for nutrient cycling, improving soil health, and promoting plant growth. As global challenges such as climate change, food insecurity, and soil degradation become more pressing, understanding and leveraging plant-microbe interactions has become increasingly critical for sustainable agricultural development and human health. Research in this area focuses on how soil biodiversity can be used for regenerative agriculture by enhancing nutrient uptake, strengthening crop resilience to environmental stresses, and reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. Additionally, addressing microbial diseases through biocontrol methods is pivotal. By exploring microbial solutions in agricultural systems, we can potentially increase crop yields while minimizing environmental impacts, aligning with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Recent advances in high-throughput data generation and new data analysis technologies, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and metagenomics, have revolutionized our understanding of plant-microbe interactions. These innovations allow researchers to explore microbial communities and their functions in unprecedented detail, offering new opportunities to enhance crop resilience, nutrient uptake, soil health, and disease management.

This Research Topic aims to highlight innovative approaches that harness soil biodiversity to support sustainable and regenerative farming practices for a growing global population. The collection will address the role of soil biodiversity in regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices in light of growing environmental challenges such as climate change, soil degradation, and water scarcity. Traditional agriculture, with its reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, has led to significant environmental degradation, threatening long-term food security. Advances in microbial ecology and biotechnology, however, offer promising alternatives. Plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) have the potential to enhance nutrient uptake, improve plant tolerance to abiotic stresses, reduce the need for synthetic inputs, and provide effective biocontrol against plant pathogens. Moreover, the advent of technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and precision agriculture, including IoT applications and data analytics, has opened new possibilities for optimizing resource use and promoting environmental sustainability.

The Topic Editors of this collection invite research contributions that explore these cutting-edge solutions, aiming to provide actionable insights for fostering resilient, sustainable agricultural systems capable of meeting the world’s food demands while protecting the planet. The team invites submissions that explore the multifaceted role of plant-microbe interactions in promoting sustainable agriculture. Specific themes of interest include:

- The mechanisms by which microbial communities enhance nutrient cycling, soil health, and disease resistance.

- The effectiveness of bio-fertilizers and their impact on crop yields.

- Strategies for improving plant resilience to environmental stressors through microbial associations.

- Development and application of microbial consortia tailored for specific crops or conditions.

- Advances in genomic techniques, such as next-generation sequencing, for understanding plant-microbe dynamics and biocontrol strategies.

- Successful implementations of microbial solutions in agricultural practices, including biocontrol of diseases.

A variety of manuscript types are welcomed, including: original research articles, reviews, and methodological papers. All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process to ensure high-quality contributions that advance the understanding of plant-microbe interactions in sustainable agriculture.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Soil Microbiome, Plant Microbiome, Climate-Smart Practices, Crop Resilience, Soil Health, Omics approaches, Data analytics

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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