Unlocking Synergies Among Soil, Plants, Microbes, and Fungi: Innovative Strategies to Enhance Soil Health and Promote Plant Growth

Sustainable agriculture plays a key role in addressing global food security while concurrently preserving environmental integrity and natural resources. The intricate interactions among soil microorganisms, fungi, and plants establish complex networks that improve soil structure and plant health, optimize nutrient cycling, and substantially diminish reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Preserving microbial and fungal diversity is essential for ecosystem functioning and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by supporting sustainable food production and biodiversity conservation. Soils with higher biodiversity demonstrate greater resilience to environmental disturbances compared to those with lower biodiversity. While many ecosystem functions, including carbon cycling, depend on diverse species, others like atmospheric nitrogen fixation rely on fewer species and are more vulnerable to environmental changes. Understanding these interactions creates opportunities to develop agricultural systems that harness natural processes to improve crop health and productivity. Nevertheless, the complex interrelationships between biodiversity, ecosystem services, and ecosystem functions remain incompletely elucidated. Ongoing research in this domain is imperative to devise innovative strategies that integrate the management of microbial and fungal communities into both conventional and organic agricultural practices.

The primary objective of this Research Topic is to elucidate the specific mechanisms governing the complex interactions among soil, plants, microbes, and fungi, with the aim of developing innovative and sustainable strategies that enhance soil health and promote plant growth. A critical challenge remains the limited understanding of the processes driving microbial and fungal biodiversity and their functional roles within agroecosystems. By leveraging multidisciplinary approaches, this initiative seeks to advance knowledge on how to effectively manage and harness these biological communities in both conventional and organic agricultural systems. Ultimately, the goal is to foster agricultural practices that strengthen soil resilience, optimize ecosystem functions, and boost crop productivity, contributing to sustainable and resilient food production systems.

To broaden our understanding in managing these interactions, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• The role of soil biodiversity in enhancing ecosystem resilience.
• Innovations in microbial and fungal community management in agriculture.
• Strategies to reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
• Mechanisms of nutrient cycling and their implications for plant health.
• The impact of climate change, pollution, and soil degradation on soil ecosystems.

This Research Topic encourages submissions of Brief Research Reports, Corrections, Editorials, Hypotheses & Theories, Methods, Mini Reviews, Opinions, Original Research, Perspectives, Policy and Practice Reviews, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, and Technology and Code, emphasizing the vital role of soil biodiversity and dynamic interactions among soil microorganisms, fungi, and plants. Recognizing and harnessing these interactions is essential for maintaining ecosystem services that underpin food security and sustainable management of natural resources.

Article types and fees

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

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

Keywords: Soil and Microbes, Fungi, Soil Health

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.