The interaction between plants, minerals, and microbes is a crucial complex network for plant growth and the ecosystem. Plants are central to this interaction and rely on minerals for essential macronutrients and micronutrients. Plants absorb these nutrients from the soil through their root system. They interact with microbes by forming symbiotic relationships, which improve plant growth, nutrient uptake, and disease resistance. Essential nutrients are obtained from minerals through weathering and promoted soil fertility. Plant roots absorb nutrients in ionic form; however, their availability depends on soil pH, texture, organic matter content, and microbial activity. Soil microorganisms play a crucial in improving plant growth and nutrient cycling. They release nutrients by decomposing organic matter, which the plant can absorb.

Microbes such as mycorrhizal fungi, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria form symbiotic relationships with plants. Mycorrhizal fungi's association with plants extends their reach to water and nutrients in exchange for carbohydrates from plants. Symbiotic and free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available form and promote soil fertility. Mineral solubilizing bacteria and fungi are involved in the solubilization of minerals and promote the availability of macronutrients and micronutrients for plant uptake. These microbes encourage plant growth by producing phytohormones and promoting nutrient availability and their uptake efficiency. Microbes may act as biocontrol agents and suppress plant pathogens through competition, antibiosis, or inducing systemic resistance in plants. They primed plant defense mechanisms against microbial pathogens, making them more resistant to subsequent pathogen attacks. These microbes are involved in the decomposition of organic matter, improving aggregation of soil particles, water infiltration, and root penetration. These mechanisms highlight the complex and dynamic interactions between plants, minerals, and microbes in terrestrial ecosystems, shaping soil fertility and ecosystem functioning.

This Research Topic offers a platform for researchers to share their latest findings in plant-mineral-microbe interactions. Areas to be covered in this collection may include, but are not limited to:

• Plant microbe interactions

• Mineral microbe interactions

• Nitrogen-fixing bacteria

• Mycorrhizal associations

• Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

• Disease suppression and plant defense

• Organic matter decomposition and soil aggregation

• Microbial influence on nutrient availability for plants

• Nutrient cycling through plants, minerals, and microbes

• Emerging techniques in plant-mineral-microbe interactions

• Symbiotic relationships between plants and beneficial microbes

• Plant-microbe interactions in phytoremediation of contaminated soils

• Plant-microbe interactions through biofertilization and bioremediation

• Microbial diversity and functional traits mediated by plants and minerals

• Microbial communities and plant growth through soil mineralogy and geochemistry

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Plant Mineral Microbe Interactions, Vol II