REVIEW article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Functional Plant Ecology
This article is part of the Research TopicUncovering plant adaptation mechanisms for effective ecological restorationView all 7 articles
Microbiome and plant relationship: A symbiosis against phytopathogens
Provisionally accepted
Aizada Zholdasbek1Zhanar Tekebayeva2Kamshat Arystanova2Akhan Abzhalelov2Zhandarbek Bekzhin2
Dinara Evneyeva2
Merey Saylau1Xin Li3Zhouliang Tan3Zhaoqi Wang3Aslan Temirkhanov2*
Zhadyrassyn Nurbekova1*- 1L N Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, Kazakhstan
- 2Republican Collection of Microorganisms, Astana, Kazakhstan
- 3Chinese Academy of Science Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chengdu, China
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Phytopathogens are among the major biotic stressors limiting global crop productivity. Conventional control methods, including chemical pesticides and fungicides, have contributed to pathogen resistance, environmental pollution, and soil degradation, highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives. This review highlights innovative, eco-friendly strategies that exploit plant–microbe interactions to enhance plant health and resilience across diverse agroecosystems. Rhizosphere-, phyllosphere-, and endosphere-associated microbial assemblages contribute to plant immune enhancement through induced systemic resistance, competitive nutrient exclusion, antimicrobial metabolite production, and mycoparasitism. The review emphasizes the functional roles of beneficial microbial communities and the emerging applications of synthetic consortia and bio-organic fertilizers to improving disease suppression, nutrient-use efficiency, and soil fertility. In addition, recent progress in omics-based tools and microbial formulation technologies is discussed as a key driver for translating laboratory findings into practical field applications. However, large-scale implementation remains challenged by high research costs, limited metagenomic infrastructure, and the lack of standardized microbial formulations across environments. Strengthening institutional capacity, integrating omics-based tools, and improving technology transfer will be essential to unlock the full potential of microbiome-based pathogen control. Overall, this review highlights microbiome-based interventions as a sustainable alternative to chemical-intensive plant protection strategies under changing environmental conditions.
Keywords: Antagonism, biological control, Endophytes, microbiome, Plant Pathogen
Received: 10 Oct 2025; Accepted: 13 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Zholdasbek, Tekebayeva, Arystanova, Abzhalelov, Bekzhin, Evneyeva, Saylau, Li, Tan, Wang, Temirkhanov and Nurbekova. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Aslan Temirkhanov
Zhadyrassyn Nurbekova
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