Rhizosphere microbes are known to be critical in addressing major issues related to climate change, global warming, deteriorating soil health, forest degradation, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the role of microbes in supporting plant growth, multiple ecosystem functions, and overall ecosystem health.

In a study published in Microbiological Research, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences explored the interactions between plants and rhizosphere microorganisms, focusing on revealing this communication by understanding the functional gene composition of rhizosphere microorganisms.

They emphasized the importance of rhizosphere microbial ecology and pointed out the key roles of rhizosphere microorganisms in promoting plant growth, enhancing nutrient uptake, alleviating stress, and resisting disease. Microbial functional genes corresponding to beneficial functions provide a solid foundation for the successful establishment of positive plant-microbe interactions. The composition of microbial functional genes in the rhizosphere can be modulated by several factors such as plant nutritional requirements, soil chemical properties, soil nutrient status, pathogen attack, abiotic stress, etc.

The rhizosphere microbial community brings benefits to plants in several ways through its remarkable ability to adapt to different stress conditions.

Exploring these beneficial microbial functions in natural environments can be challenging, as less than 1% of microbes can be cultured in vitro, leaving most of the microbial world unexplored.

"Therefore, functional gene approaches are useful techniques to delve into this underground microbial world and understand the friends or foes of microbe-plant interactions in natural ecosystems," said YANG Xiaodong of XTBG.