Molecular Studies of Microorganisms in Plant Growth and Utilization

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganisms are important in plants, not only for growth but also in terms of utilization. Recently, the impact of abiotic stress on plants is intensifying due to global warming. In real-life environments, plants often face internal pressure from multiple sources, and these combined stresses will become the main factor restricting crop production in the near future. In addition to plants’ own resistance mechanisms against environmental stress, microorganisms also play an important role in their response to stress, for example, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) such as Pseudomonas spp. and Bacillus spp. in the rhizosphere and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Focusing on the functional role of microorganisms in plants’ resistance to environmental stress can inspire new techniques for maintaining agricultural production under changing circumstances, and is expected to be the first port of call for developing stress-resistant plant breeding. At present, although it is known which microorganisms are involved in plant stress, there is still a gap in our understanding of their specific regulatory mechanisms. On the other hand, ensiling is well known to be key way to more effectively utilize crops as animal feed resources. Microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria and yeast are desired and undesired microorganisms during ensiling, respectively. Identifying the function and mechanisms of these microorganisms could improve crop utilization in the animal industry.

This Special Issue aims to explore the molecular mechanisms by which microorganisms mediate plant responses to abiotic stresses (e.g., drought, salinity, and temperature extremes) and enhance crop utilization through processes like ensiling. As such, we welcome contributions related to the application of advanced microbiology related to plant responses to abiotic stresses or related to crop utilization, such as fermentation during ensiling. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. The microbial mitigation of abiotic stress:

• The role of PGPR (e.g., Pseudomonas and Bacillus) and mycorrhizal fungi in stress alleviation.
• The molecular pathways involved in nutrient uptake, phytohormone modulation, and stress signaling.

2. Omics-driven insights:

• Genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies elucidating plant–microbe interactions.
• Microbial consortia and synthetic communities for enhanced resilience.

3. Engineering microbial solutions:

• CRISPR-edited microbes and microbiome engineering for stress tolerance.
• Metabolic engineering of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to optimize ensiling.

4. Ensiling and crop utilization:

• The dynamics of desirable (LAB) vs. undesirable (yeast) microbes in silage fermentation.
• Strategies to suppress pathogens and enhance silage quality through microbial management.

Dr. Chunhui Ma
Guest Editor

Dr. Fanfan Zhang
Dr. Rongzheng Huang
Guest Editor Assistants

Manuscript Submission Information

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• plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria
• abiotic stress
• crop utilization
• ensiling