Root–Soil–Microbe Interactions: Mechanisms and Management for Plant Performance and Ecosystem Function
A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 August 2026 | Viewed by 1123
Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue invites original research, reviews, and short communications that advance the understanding of interactions among plant roots, soils, and microbial communities and their consequences for plant performance and ecosystem function. Submissions may address cultivated and wild plants across scales from molecular processes to landscape dynamics, and should deliver mechanistic insight or robust evidence informing management, conservation, or prediction.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Root traits, exudation, and architecture shaping rhizosphere processes
- Soil microbial diversity, functional roles, and plant–microbe networks
- Biogeochemical cycles (nutrient, carbon, water) mediated by root–microbe interactions
- Plant physiological responses and vigor linked to rhizosphere interactions
- Responses to abiotic and biotic stress (drought, salinity, pollutants, pests, pathogens) via root–microbe dynamics
- Effects of land use, vegetation change, restoration, and management practices on root–soil–microbe systems
- Methods and models: meta‑omics, imaging, isotopes, remote sensing, and simulation approaches for coupled root–soil–microbe processes
- Translational and applied work: microbiome-informed management, restoration strategies, and indicators of soil and plant health
We welcome interdisciplinary studies spanning ecology, microbiology, soil science, plant physiology, and environmental management. Manuscripts should clearly state the hypotheses, methods, and implications for plant performance or ecosystem function.
Dr. Yuan Li
Guest Editor
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. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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.
Keywords
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Root–soil–microbe interactions
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Rhizosphere processes
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Plant–microbe networks
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Biogeochemical cycling
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Microbiome-informed management
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