Exploring Symbiotic Dynamics: Enhancing Plant Health Through Multifaceted Interactions with Fungi and Bacteria

The field of plant sciences is increasingly recognizing the pivotal role of interkingdom interactions, specifically among plants, fungi, and bacteria, in shaping plant health and development. Traditionally dominated by mycorrhizal and rhizobial studies, this area has expanded to include a broader range of beneficial microbes that offer promising implications for agricultural sustainability. Recent research underscores the diverse ways in which both microbes and microbiomes contribute to nutrient acquisition, stress resistance, and overall plant vitality. Despite significant strides, numerous plant-microbial and plant-microbiome dynamics remain underexplored, presenting a fertile ground for novel insights and applications.

This Research Topic aims to deepen the understanding of molecular mechanisms driving plant-microbe and plant-microbiome interactions. It encourages researchers to delve beyond conventional studies and explore varied plant-microbial and plant-microbiome partnerships that exhibit potential for enhancing plant fitness and resilience to stresses. By advancing a molecular-level comprehension of these interactions, the research aims to contribute to developing sustainable agricultural practices, capable of improving crop yields and stress tolerance. Priority will be given to submissions that offer robust elucidation of mechanisms, feature novel insights, and demonstrate compelling outcomes in both laboratory and field scenarios.

To gather further insights into the realm of plant-microbe interactions, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Molecular characterization of diverse plant-fungal-bacterial symbioses
• SynComs and their role in plant growth enhancement
• Mechanisms of plant-fungal-bacterial interkingdom signaling
• Impact of microbes on plant stress resistance
• Plant interactions with fungal and bacterial microbiomes
• Responses of plant associated fungal and bacterial microbiomes to stresses
• Novel Agricultural Applications of microbial interactions

We invite the submission of Original Research, Reviews, and Perspectives.

Article types and fees

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

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... 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:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Symbiosis, plant microbe interaction, resilient plants, mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal fungi-plant interactions, endophytes, plant microbiomes

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.