Collection 

Harnessing plant microbiomes to improve performance and mechanistic understanding

Submission status
Open
Submission deadline
 

This is a Cross-Journal Collection with npj Science of Plants, npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, Microbiome and Environmental Microbiome. Please click here to see the collection page for Microbiome and Environmental Microbiome.

Modern agriculture needs to sustainably increase crop productivity while preserving ecosystem health. As soil degradation, climate variability, and diminishing input efficiency continue to threaten agricultural outputs, there is a pressing need to enhance plant performance through ecologically-sound strategies. In this context, plant-associated microbiomes represent a powerful, yet underexploited, resource to improve plant vigor, nutrient acquisition, stress resilience, and overall productivity.

The plant microbiome—comprising bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms inhabiting the rhizosphere, endosphere, and phyllosphere—plays a fundamental role in shaping plant physiology and development. Increasing evidence demonstrates that beneficial microbes mediate key processes such as nutrient solubilization and uptake, hormonal regulation, photosynthetic efficiency, and systemic resistance to (a)biotic stresses. However, to fully harness these capabilities, a mechanistic understanding of the molecular dialogues and functional traits underpinning plant-microbe interactions is essential.

Recent advances in multi-omics technologies, synthetic biology, and high-throughput functional screening have accelerated our ability to dissect these interactions at molecular, cellular, and system levels. Yet, significant challenges remain in translating these mechanistic insights into robust microbiome-based applications for agriculture. Core knowledge gaps include identifying microbial functions that are conserved across environments and hosts, understanding the signaling networks and metabolic exchanges between partners, and predicting microbiome assembly and stability under field conditions.

This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Reviews, Perspectives, and Meta-analyses that delve into the functional and mechanistic basis of plant-microbiome interactions. We are particularly interested in contributions that integrate molecular microbiology, systems biology, plant physiology, and computational modeling to unravel the mechanisms by which microbial communities enhance plant performance and/or mechanisms employed by plant hosts to assemble beneficial microbiomes. Studies ranging from controlled experimental systems to applied field trials are encouraged, especially those aiming to bridge the gap between fundamental understanding and translational outcomes such as microbial consortia, engineered strains, or microbiome-informed management practices.

Ultimately, this collection aims to advance our ability to rationally design and apply microbiome-based strategies by deepening our mechanistic insight into how plants select beneficial microbiomes and in turn how microbes shape plant health and productivity.

 

To submit, see the participating journals
plant microbiomes

Editors

Collection policies for npj Science of Plants and npj Biofilms and Microbiomes:

This Collection is open for submissions from all authors – and not by invitation only – on the condition that the manuscripts fall within the scope of the Collection and the participating journals (npj Science of Plants, npj Biofilms and Microbiomes) more generally.

All manuscripts will be considered for publication according to the editorial policies of the specific participating journal (npj Science of Plants, npj Biofilms and Microbiomes through which they were submitted. Visit Nature portfolio’s Collections guidelines for more details.

When submitting your manuscript to a participating journal (npj Science of Plants, npj Biofilms and Microbiomes) via our online submission system, please choose the appropriate Collection title from the drop-down menu on the submission form. Please be sure to express your interest in the Collection in your cover letter. Please only submit to one journal, but note authors have the option to transfer to another participating journal following the editors’ recommendation.

This Collection has not been supported by sponsorship.

Collection policies for Microbiome and Environmental Microbiome:

Please refer to this page. Please only submit to one journal, but note authors have the option to transfer to another participating journal following the editors’ recommendation.