Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.7
3.4
Journals
Agronomy
Special Issues
Plant–Microbiota Interactions Under Abiotic Stress
share announcement

Plant–Microbiota Interactions Under Abiotic Stress

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Pest and Disease Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 3917

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Loredana Scalschi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biochemistry and Biotechnology Group, Department of Biology, Biochemistry and Natural Sciences, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón de la Plana, Spain
Interests: plant microbe interaction; plant protection; induced resistance; apoplastic proteins and peptides; beneficial microorganisms; endophytes; nitrogen fixation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Isabel González-Hernández

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Escuela Politécnica Superior de Zamora, Departamento Construcción y Agronomía, Universidad de Salamanca, 49002 Zamora, Spain
Interests: polyamines; nitrogen; induced resistance; tomato pseudomonas; climate change; wheat
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Eugenio Llorens

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Area of Vegetal Physiology, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellon, Spain
Interests: plant microbiology; plant–microbe interaction; plant protection; induced resistance; plant physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change has caused significant environmental disruptions, including extreme temperatures, droughts, waterlogging, and shifting weather patterns, all of which negatively impact crop production worldwide. These stressors, whether occurring individually or in combination, can disrupt nutrient uptake and hinder overall plant development. To cope with these stresses, plants form associations with diverse and structured microbial communities, collectively known as the plant microbiota. These microbial partners play a crucial role in supporting plant growth under stress by providing water and nutrients and by modulating plant metabolism and physiology. Harnessing the plant microbiota holds great promise for enhancing crop resilience and productivity, especially in the face of increasingly challenging environmental conditions. Therefore, the aim of this Special Issue is to review and discuss new insights into the potential of plant–microbiota interactions to improve crop resilience and productivity in response to growing environmental stresses.

Dr. Loredana Scalschi
Dr. Ana Isabel González-Hernández
Dr. Eugenio Llorens
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Agronomy 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 2600 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

  • abiotic stress
  • beneficial microorganisms
  • climate change
  • plant–microbe interaction
  • sustainable agriculture
  • food security

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.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

32 pages, 11442 KB  
Article
Microbial Inoculation Differentially Affected the Performance of Field-Grown Young Monastrell Grapevines Under Semiarid Conditions, Depending on the Rootstock
by Pascual Romero, Pablo Botía, Elisa I. Morote, Asunción Morte and Josefa M. Navarro
Agronomy 2025, 15(11), 2570; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15112570 - 7 Nov 2025
Viewed by 996
Abstract
A trial was conducted from 2017 to 2023 in a 0.2 ha irrigated vineyard located in a semiarid area of southeastern Spain, using field-grown young vines (0–6 years old) of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Monastrell grafted onto three rootstocks: 140Ru, 161-49C, and 110R. [...] Read more.
A trial was conducted from 2017 to 2023 in a 0.2 ha irrigated vineyard located in a semiarid area of southeastern Spain, using field-grown young vines (0–6 years old) of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Monastrell grafted onto three rootstocks: 140Ru, 161-49C, and 110R. The main objective was to evaluate the effect of early co-inoculation in the field using commercial microbial inoculants containing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), and a mycorrhizal helper bacterium (MHB) on young vine performance. We assessed the impact of microbial inoculation and its interaction with the rootstock on soil environment, plant water relations, leaf gas exchange, plant nutrition, growth, yield, and berry quality. Mycorrhizal colonization rates in root samples showed similar values in inoculated and non-inoculated vines across all of the rootstocks; however, inoculated vines grafted onto 140Ru showed significantly higher concentrations of total glomalin in the soil compared to their non-inoculated counterparts. Microbial inoculation altered the soil environment, leading to increased oxygen diffusion rate (161-49C), organic matter decomposition rate (140Ru), soil CO2 flux (110R, 140Ru), and soil H2O flux (110R) values in the rhizosphere of inoculated vines. Additionally, inoculated vines grafted onto 140Ru and 161-49C exhibited improved vegetative and reproductive development, enhancing productive water use efficiency (WUEyield), whereas inoculated vines on 110R showed poorer soil–plant water relations, growth, yield, and WUEyield compared to non-inoculated vines. Microbial inoculation also led to a significant decrease in must phenolic content, particularly in 140Ru, unlike 110R and 161-49C. These findings indicate that early microbial inoculation had a rootstock-dependent impact on the performance of young grapevines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Microbiota Interactions Under Abiotic Stress)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 1110 KB  
Article
Endophyte Viability in Grass Seeds: Storage Conditions Affecting Survival and Control Methods
by Barbara Wiewióra and Grzegorz Żurek
Agronomy 2025, 15(8), 1977; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081977 - 15 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1272
Abstract
Research has evaluated the efficacy of various methods for eliminating endophytes from grass seeds, as well as changes in endophyte viability during seed storage under different conditions, indicating significant variation in different procedures and cultivars. Chemical seed treatment (tebuconazole and thiram) completely eliminated [...] Read more.
Research has evaluated the efficacy of various methods for eliminating endophytes from grass seeds, as well as changes in endophyte viability during seed storage under different conditions, indicating significant variation in different procedures and cultivars. Chemical seed treatment (tebuconazole and thiram) completely eliminated viable fungal mycelia, leaving no trace in any tested cultivar. Non-chemical methods, such as drying and microwave treatment, only partially reduced mycelial viability by 30.3% and 33.1%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference between them. A significant positive correlation was observed between the initial mycelial viability and its reduction. Lolium perenne cv. Vigor showed no impact from non-chemical methods, while Festuca rubra cv. Anielka exhibited the greatest reduction (79% after microwave treatment). Seed storage also impacted endophyte survival. Storage at +7 °C, +23 °C, and −20 °C reduced viability by 27.4%, 31.7%, and 37.3%, respectively. Positive correlations existed between initial viability and post-storage reductions. Similarly to elimination methods, cv. Vigor showed resistance to storage conditions. However, −20 °C storage proved least favorable for endophyte survival, particularly for Festuca pratensis cv. Artema, cv. Anielka, and Festuca ovina cv. Jolka. To maintain the viability of beneficial endophytes during seed storage, we must carefully control storage conditions, especially ambient temperature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Microbiota Interactions Under Abiotic Stress)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

27 pages, 2150 KB  
Review
Methylobacterium-Mediated Phytohormone Regulation and Metabolic Priming in Plant Drought Resilience
by Rajendran Poorniammal, Somasundaram Prabhu, Laurent Dufossé and Krishnakumar Rithikha Sharmi
Agronomy 2026, 16(5), 494; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16050494 - 24 Feb 2026
Viewed by 754
Abstract
Droughts are considered one of the major abiotic limitations constraining global plant productivity. Recent findings suggest that water-deficit responses in plants are largely mediated by associated microbial communities, instead of being purely genetically based in plants. Of these beneficial microbes, pink-pigmented, facultative, methylotrophic [...] Read more.
Droughts are considered one of the major abiotic limitations constraining global plant productivity. Recent findings suggest that water-deficit responses in plants are largely mediated by associated microbial communities, instead of being purely genetically based in plants. Of these beneficial microbes, pink-pigmented, facultative, methylotrophic bacteria in the genus Methylobacterium have been recognized for their immense potential as plant-growth-promoting agents. These microbes have the ability to generate phytohormones, especially cytokinins and auxins, as well as manipulate host metabolic pathways. This review aims to compile available knowledge on hormonal and metabolic interactions in the plant holobiont mediated by Methylobacterium species, especially in relation to drought stress. Firstly, the review discusses the microbial production of phytohormones, specifically cytokinins (such as trans-zeatin) and auxins (like indole-3-acetic acid, or IAA), and their effects on plant roots and shoots. Next, the review aims to discuss metabolic priming approaches induced by Methylobacterium in plants exposed to drought, which include priming for osmolyte biosynthesis (proline, glycine betaine, trehalose, etc.) and activating antioxidant defenses. Furthermore, the review aims to explain how these interactions and responses collectively contribute to developing plant drought stress resilience via improved plant–water relations, postponing senescence, maintaining photosystem efficiency and elucidating mechanisms using omics approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Microbiota Interactions Under Abiotic Stress)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop