Molecular and Biochemical Effects Exerted by the Interaction of Symbiotic Microorganisms with Plants to Improve their Response to Environmental Stresses

Climate change influences in a negative way several activities dedicated to human food security, and especially agriculture is one of the most affected. Extended periods of high temperatures, drought, and higher salinity among other environmental stresses cause problems in the normal growth of vegetal organisms. To deal with harmful environments, plants can live in association with microorganisms in functional symbiosis. In nature, fungi, bacterial and other soil microorganisms potentiate growth modulating physiological, molecular, and biochemical mechanisms in hosting plants. Increase knowledge about those virtuosic relationships between plants and microorganisms may help improve crop yield under future climate scenarios.
The goal of this Research Topic is to contribute significantly to the molecular, physiological, and biochemical knowledge on the plant-microbe relationship in native plants from extreme environments as well as in the use of these symbiotic strategies to improve yield and nutritional aspects on commercial crops.
Papers addressing any of these issues are welcome; those that integrate several will be favored. We will accept original articles, reviews and other relevant research that focus on aspects like:
• Symbiotic microorganism-plant relationship modulates plant’s gene expression to response to environmental stresses. • Metabolic changes in plant host triggered by symbiotic association with soil microorganisms.• Yield improvement by the use of plant-microorganisms symbiotic strategies in commercial crops.