Rooted in Innovation: Engineering Plant-Microbiome Systems for a Sustainable Future

The plant microbiome, consisting of diverse microbial communities associated with plant roots, leaves, and internal tissues, plays a crucial role in promoting plant health, productivity, and resilience against stress. As the effects of climate change intensify, accompanied by diminishing soil fertility and soaring global food demand, traditional farming methods are becoming inadequate and environmentally unsustainable. The emergent need is to innovate agricultural practices that are eco-friendly and efficient. One promising solution is engineering plant-microbiome systems using advanced biotechnological tools. This burgeoning field explores cutting-edge biotechnological strategies like synthetic biology, genome editing, microbial inoculants, and omics-driven approaches to enhance plant-microbe interactions and boost crop performance under diverse environmental conditions. Despite advancements, deeper insights into microbiome dynamics and functional interactions for sustainable applications remain essential.

This Research Topic aims to consolidate pioneering contributions that examine biotechnological strategies for engineering plant-microbiome systems. It seeks to highlight both foundational discoveries and translational research that are instrumental in shaping the future of sustainable plant-microbiome systems. The goal is to present original research articles, methods, reviews, and perspectives that explore biotechnological strategies, such as synthetic biology, genome editing, microbial inoculants, and omics-driven approaches, to enhance plant-microbe interactions and improve crop performance. This endeavor aligns with global aspirations such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically those targeting food security, environmental sustainability, and climate resilience. The Research Topic aims to be a rich resource for researchers, agronomists, biotechnologists, microbial ecologists, policymakers, and students engaged in sustainable agriculture and microbial biotechnology.

To gather further insights into engineering plant-microbiome systems via biotechnology, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Synthetic biology for designing plant-microbe interactions

• Genome editing and molecular tools in plant-microbiome engineering

• Advanced microbial inoculants and biofertilizers

• Omics technologies in plant-microbiome research

• Microbiome-based biocontrol and plant health management

• Engineering rhizosphere and phyllosphere microbiomes

• Environmental bioremediation via plant-microbiome systems

• Climate-resilient agriculture through microbiome innovation

• Biosafety, risk assessment, and regulatory considerations

• Systems biology and predictive modeling of plant-microbiome dynamics

• Translational research and field implementation

This collection endeavors to bridge the gap between plant science and microbial biotechnology, showcasing advanced approaches for sustainable agriculture. It strives to guide the development of resilient, productive agro-ecosystems, highlight novel techniques, tackle real-world implementation challenges, and assess the ecological, safety, and societal implications of releasing engineered organisms to fuel conversation and insight into the future of agricultural biotechnology.

Article types: Original research articles, methods, reviews, perspectives.

Article types and fees

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

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• 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
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Plant Microbiome Engineering, Synthetic Biology, Genome Editing, Microbial Inoculants, Sustainable Agriculture

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.