Eco-Smart Biocontrol: Harnessing Microbe-Plant Synergy for Sustainable Agriculture

The field of sustainable agriculture increasingly focuses on eco-genomics to understand the interactions between biocontrol microbes and plant defence systems. Modern agriculture faces mounting challenges due to the overuse of chemical pesticides, which leads to issues like pesticide resistance and environmental degradation. Recent research has highlighted the potential of biocontrol microbes as natural allies in suppressing plant pathogens, but critical gaps remain in their consistent efficacy, adaptability within diverse ecosystems, and the underlying genetic and microbial mechanisms involved. As sequencing and bioinformatics technologies evolve, scientists have begun to unravel the complex networks and key genetic traits in microbes that bolster plant immunity and resilience, yet translational application and ecological impacts in real-world agricultural settings are still poorly characterized.

This Research Topic aims to elucidate the genetic, molecular, and ecological foundations of microbe-mediated plant defence to inform the next generation of biocontrol solutions. The main objective is to uncover new insights into microbe-plant partnerships that enhance disease resistance, reduce reliance on chemical pesticides, and promote agroecosystem sustainability. By integrating research from microbial ecology, plant sciences, and genomics, we seek to identify and optimize biocontrol agents, improve their field performance, and assess their broader ecological roles. Further, the research intends to address long-standing questions around the application, adaptability, and reliability of biocontrol strategies, aiming to support both crop productivity and environmental stewardship.

This Research Topic welcomes original research, reviews, and perspectives that explore the eco-genomics of biocontrol microbes, covering both foundational discoveries and translational approaches. Studies should focus on interactions at the molecular, organismal, and ecosystem levels, with particular attention to scalable solutions. To gather further insights in eco-genomic approaches for biocontrol in agriculture, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Identification and characterization of beneficial microbial traits for plant disease suppression

• High-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics in dissecting microbe-plant interactions

• Mechanisms of plant immune modulation by biocontrol agents

• Ecological risks and sustainability impacts of deploying biocontrol microbes

• Field studies on the efficacy and consistency of microbial biocontrol strategies

Article types and fees

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

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• 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:

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

Keywords: Eco-genomics biocontrol, Sustainable agriculture microbes, Plant-microbe interactions, Biological disease management, Microbial plant defence

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.