Harnessing of Soil Microbiome for Sustainable Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

Soil microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa and archaea, collectively known as the soil microbiome, play a vital role in plant health and crop productivity. By incorporating microbial inoculants, biofertilizers and biopesticides into agricultural practices, farmers can enhance soil health, promote resilience to climate change and reduce environmental impacts. Biofertilizers and soil inoculants containing beneficial microorganisms can increase nutrient availability and plant uptake. The use of diverse microbial communities over single strains can lead to more effective and resilient agricultural systems. Certain microorganisms can act as natural enemies of pests, reducing the need for synthetic pesticides in integrated pest management strategies. Soil microorganisms also contribute to carbon cycling, storing atmospheric carbon dioxide in soil organic matter, which can mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon in agricultural soils. Microbial bioremediation techniques can clean up contaminated soils by using microorganisms to break down pollutants. Advances in soil microbiome research and biotechnology are crucial for promoting sustainable agriculture. Technologies such as metagenomics and microbial ecology provide insights into soil microbial communities in agroecosystems. This Special Issue emphasizes the potential of the soil microbiome to improve agricultural sustainability, increase crop yields and reduce environmental damage, thereby supporting food security and ecosystem stability for future generations.

Dr. Debasis Mitra
Dr. Marika Pellegrini
Dr. Leonard Koolman
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Bacteria is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.