Book Description
This Research Topic addresses the mechanisms by which beneficial soil microbes, such as fungi and bacteria, protect their host plant from ‘climatic stresses’ that are increasing due to climate change. We will highlight 1) recent progress in fundamental research, 2) applied studies aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture and environmental remediation, and 3) emerging biotechnologies that promote crop adaptation to climate change. Plants respond to various climatic stresses such as drought, salinity, elevated CO2, and extreme temperatures. These responses induce changes at the molecular, cellular, and physiological levels that restrict the establishment, growth, and development of the plant. Understanding these changes has become an important research goal due to concerns about the adverse effects of climatic stresses on agriculture sustainability, global food security, and even plant-based remediation technologies. Some beneficial soil microorganisms, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plant growth promoting bacteria, are able to protect and promote the growth of their host plants by acting as bioprotectants (via induced systemic resistance), biopesticides (via antibiotic functions) and phytostimulators (via triggering hormonal signaling networks). Plant adaptation to various climatic stresses is dynamic and involves complex cross-talk within the regulatory network (e.g. transcription factors, kinase cascades, and signaling molecules). However, the detailed molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms underlying plant–beneficial microbe interactions in climatic stress adaptation remain largely unknown.
