Plant–Microbiome Interactions
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 March 2026 | Viewed by 123
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plants exist in close association with a diverse community of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses, that colonize every accessible plant tissue, and are collectively referred to as the plant microbiome. These interactions play a crucial role in plant health, development, and adaptation to environmental challenges. The plant microbiome influences nutrient uptake, pathogen resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, and overall plant productivity. Understanding the mechanisms governing plant–microbiome interactions is essential for sustainable agriculture, ecosystem resilience, and biotechnological applications. This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research on plant-associated microbial communities, their functional roles, and their potential applications in improving plant health and productivity. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and short communications covering (but not limited to) the following topics:
- Characterizations of the composition, diversity, and dynamics of plant microbiomes;
- Molecular mechanisms underlying plant–microbiome interactions;
- The role of microbiomes in plant growth promotion and stress tolerance;
- Microbiome engineering for sustainable agriculture and biotechnology;
- The influence of climate change and environmental factors on plant microbiomes;
- Plant immunity and microbiome-mediated disease resistance;
- Multi-omics approaches (metagenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) in plant microbiome research;
- Plant pathobiome;
- Microbial inoculants, biofertilizers, and biopesticides for crop improvement;
- Advances in microbiome-based plant breeding and synthetic microbiomes.
By compiling the latest findings in plant–microbiome interactions, this Special Issue aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of plant-associated microbial communities and their potential for sustainable crop management.
We invite researchers from diverse disciplines to submit their contributions to this Special Issue of Plants.
Dr. V. Yeka Zhimo
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 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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 microbiome
- soil microbiome
- holobiont
- rhizosphere
- phyllosphere
- metagenomics
- metatranscriptomics
- microbial ecology
- phytobiome
- biocontrol agents
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