Plant Microbiome Diversity and Potential for Crops and Sustainable Agriculture

Since the last few decades plants are not treated as single entities, rather they are considered with association of different microbial communities known as plant microbiome. These microbiomes are now known an extension of a plant genome. Diversity of this microbial population is quite large including different classes of bacteria, archaea, and fungi. They always preserve symbiotic relation with a host plant by providing different growth promoting factors. It is well established that plant microbiota are structured mainly by different plant compartments (e.g., different plant organs, and diverse between rhizosphere, phyllosphere, and endosphere). These plant microbial groups show potential functions related to probiotics and plant protection. They can help a plant with germination and growth, as well as disease prevention, biotic, and abiotic stress resistance. Microbial diversity has been discovered as an important role in disease prevention and could be used as a biomarker in plant protection measures. The study of plant–microbiome interaction has resulted in a paradigm shift in our knowledge of the microbiome’s involvement in plant health and disease, with significant implications for biocontrol and growth promotion.