Plant Microbe Interactions
A section of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607).
Section Information
Plants are affected by microbes that are ubiquitous in the environment and colonize plant tissues both externally and internally. In soils, microbes facilitate the nitrogen cycle and liberate nutrients that are then made available for absorption by plant roots. In soils, certain microbes may produce metabolites or colonize potential plant pathogens, resulting in reduced virulence of pathogens to plants. In colonizing plants, microbes may incite diseases that result in tissue damage or mortality. Understanding the various mechanisms used by microbes in the etiology or modulation of disease is important, and within the scope of this section. Microbes are also able to colonize plant tissues without any expression of disease. These microbes may be endophytes, inhabiting the interior tissues of plants, or they may be epiphytes, colonizing only surfaces of plants. Nonpathogenic or symbiotic microbes in plant tissues interact with plants in unknown ways during development, affecting how plants grow, frequently resulting in greater development with microbes present in tissues than where microbes are absent. Microbes that internally colonize plants also frequently result in increased biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in host plants, again by uncertain mechanisms. There are indications that certain microbes shuttle nutrients between soils and plant roots, and the mechanisms by which this occurs are relevant to this section. Further, any research or review articles that address the ecological or physiological interactions between microbes and plants or algae are topics relevant to this section of MDPI Microorganisms. The Editorial Board will review all manuscripts submitted for publication in this section. However, articles that seem to be outside the scope of the subject matter listed here may be referred to another section of Microorganisms.
Keywords
- disease protection;
- endophytes;
- endosymbiosis;
- epiphytes;
- lichens;
- mycorrhizae;
- nitrogen fixation;
- pathogens;
- pathogenesis;
- phosphate solubilization;
- rhizobacteria;
- rhizophagy cycle;
- stress tolerance;
- symbiosis.
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Insect–Plant–Microbe Interactions and Sustainable Agriculture (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Beneficial Microorganisms for Sustainable Agriculture (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Fungal and Oomycete Diseases of Oil Palm (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Rhizosphere Effectors in Plant–Microbe Interactions (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Non-Fungal Plant Pathogens: Diversity, Ecology, and Control Strategies (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Phytoplasmas and Phytoplasma Diseases (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Plant-Microbe Interactome: The Green Dialogue Within the Plant Holobiont (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Exploring Foliar Plant–Bacterial Pathogen Interactions and Innovative Control Approaches (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Plant–Microbe Interactions Along Value Chains for Sustainable Horticulture (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Advances in Plant–Soil–Microbe Interactions (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Soil Health and Plant Microbiome–Bioeffectors Relationship in Sustainable Agriculture, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Phloem Localized Insect Transmitted Bacteria Associated with Plant Diseases (2nd Edition) (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Feature Papers in Plant–Microbe Interactions in North America (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Stress-to-Signal in the Rhizosphere: Plant–Microbiome Communication Under Abiotic Stress (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
- Genomic Perspectives on the Ecology and Evolution of Bacterial Plant Pathogens and Symbionts (Deadline: 30 August 2026)
- Plant–Microbe Interaction: State-of-the-Art Research in Asia (2026) (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Biological Control of Microbial Pathogens in Plants (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- State-of-the-Art Plant Microbe Interactions in Japan (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Microbe–Plant–Environment Interactions over Time (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- State-of-the-Art Plant Microbe Interactions in South Korea (2025, 2026) (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Advances in the Plant Microbiome: Rhizosphere, Endosphere and Phyllosphere, Second Edition (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Plant Pathogens: Monitoring, Identification and Biological Control, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Fungal Diseases of Cereals (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Diversity of Plant Pathogens (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Advances in Fungal Plant Pathogens: Diagnosis, Resistance and Control (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Plant–Microbe Interactions in Crop Production: State of the Art in Germany, Future Developments and International Perspective (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
Topical Collection
Following topical collection within this section is currently open for submissions: