New Insights into Plant Biotic and Abiotic Stress

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, the world faces an increased frequency of drought and heat waves and the appearance of new diseases. By the end of the century, crop production will need to increase by 50% to meet the anticipated food demand and encounter the challenges caused by climate change. In addition to global concerns over food insecurity, future agriculture must meet a considerable number of other grand challenges, including becoming more sustainable, and biofortifying the ecosystems’ biodiversity.

It is urgent to develop alternatives to current agricultural systems that highly depend on agrochemicals and water. Understanding how microbiomes influence the fitness network of crops, grassland plants, and soil health under global change is pivotal for developing sustainable agricultural strategies.

It has been suggested that microbiomes, via multiple cascades, define plant phenotypes, including stress tolerance, as well as providing genetic variability (biodiversity). Plant and soil signals affect interaction with microbial communities and hence are also relevant for making more efficient the benefits of treatments with microbial biostimulants for improving tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. These signals are related to the production of specific compounds and expression of specific genes. However, what specific mechanisms underlie their effect on plant-microbiome interaction and how they make microbiomes highly efficient, are all still largely unanswered questions.

Therefore, information about these mechanisms, identification of the compounds and genes involved, and what regulatory mechanisms affect plant–soil-microbiome interactions, are essential for understanding which features can increase the beneficial effect of microbiome treatment.

We encourage contributions that advance our understanding of these critical issues, fostering dialogue and innovation to support the long-term health and resilience of agro-ecosystems.

Dr. Salme Timmusk
Dr. Erick Zagal
Topic Editors