Molecular Studies of Microorganisms in Plant Growth and Utilization
A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology and Immunology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 607
Special Issue Editors
Interests: forage production key technology and integrated demonstration; study on the synergistic effect of cellulose decomposing bacteria and heterogeneous/homogeneous lactic acid bacteria to improve the quality of corn silage
Interests: lactic acid bacteria; condensed tannins; aerobic exposure; paper mulberry; proteolysis
Interests: silage; condensed tannins; Pediococcus pentosaceus
Special Issue Information
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:
- 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.
- Omics-driven insights:
- Genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies elucidating plant–microbe interactions.
- Microbial consortia and synthetic communities for enhanced resilience.
- Engineering microbial solutions:
- CRISPR-edited microbes and microbiome engineering for stress tolerance.
- Metabolic engineering of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to optimize ensiling.
- 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
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms 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 2700 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
- plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria
- abiotic stress
- crop utilization
- ensiling
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
