The rhizosphere microbiome: Plant–microbial interactions for resource acquisition

Abstract

While horticulture tools and methods have been extensively developed to improve the management of crops, systems to harness the rhizosphere microbiome to benefit plant crops are still in development. Plants and microbes have been coevolving for several millennia, conferring fitness advantages that expand the plant’s own genetic potential. These beneficial associations allow the plants to cope with abiotic stresses such as nutrient deficiency across a wide range of soils and growing conditions. Plants achieve these benefits by selectively recruiting microbes using root exudates, positively impacting their nutrition, health and overall productivity. Advanced knowledge of the interplay between root exudates and microbiome alteration in response to plant nutrient status, and the underlying mechanisms there of, will allow the development of technologies to increase crop yield. This review summarizes current knowledge and perspectives on plant–microbial interactions for resource acquisition and discusses promising advances for manipulating rhizosphere microbiomes and root exudation.