Crop Microbiome: Structure and Function

Dear Colleagues,

One of the significant challenges faced by 21st-century agriculture is to sustainably produce increased amounts of healthier food under challenging environmental and sociological conditions. To tackle this growing crisis, increased efforts need to be devoted to understanding the plant microbiome for applications allowing for improved and more sustainable agricultural and horticultural practices. Despite the increasing recognition of the importance of the microbiome for plant growth and health, harnessing its genomic potential as a new platform for improved resilience against the abiotic/biotic stresses of future crop production is a significant challenge for the coming decade. The translation of plant-associated microbiome knowledge into real-world scenarios will require concerted transdisciplinary research and training, as well as training and educational efforts targeted to those who will be instrumental for the successful adoption of microbiome-based innovative technologies, i.e., the producers and public. This research topic will highlight the current knowledge on the state-of-the-art in plant–microbiome interactions, as well as their specificity, diversity, and functions. Especially welcome are articles focused on engineering microbiomes with synthetic microbial communities capable of delivering agronomic and environmental solutions for a more sustainable future. Furthermore, all fundamental and applied studies of the management of plant microbiomes for increased plant productivity and climate resilience are encouraged.

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• Plant-associated microbiome 
• Plant–microbiome interactions 
• Omics 
• Biocontrol 
• Sustainable agriculture 
• Climate change 
• Microbiome engineering