Next generation tools for crop-microbiome manipulation to mitigate the impact of climate change

Abstract

We argue that microbiome manipulation through the application of molecules involved in plant–microbiome signalling has enormous potential to mitigate the effect of climate change on crop productivity. This is because it addresses most of the technical challenges associated with microbial inoculants (e.g., culturing key microbes, keeping microbial cell viability, and outcompeting native microbiota). Such products are likely to have a high adoption rate by the farming community as they are expected to be compatible with conventional farming practices and be applied through seed dressing, irrigation, or in combination with fertilizers. How-ever, significant progress is needed in identifying the signalling molecules and mechanisms that underpin communication within the holobiont and that selectively promote the activity of beneficial microbes, enhance the host immune responses, and suppress harmful microbes.