Summary
This review examines the multifaceted mechanisms by which crop plant–soil microbiome interactions enhance drought resilience through metabolic exchanges. It integrates metabolomic evidence to characterise how plants emit 'call for help' signals via root exudates, facilitating reciprocal transfer of protective compounds including osmoprotectants, antioxidants and stress-responsive phytohormones. The synthesis emphasises cutting-edge metabolomics techniques for deciphering these plant–microbiome chemical dialogues as a foundation for developing drought-resilient agricultural systems.
Regional applicability
The mechanistic insights are broadly applicable to United Kingdom agriculture, particularly in light of increasing drought risk from climate change affecting cereal and horticultural production. However, the review's primarily global perspective requires contextualisation to UK soil types, native microbial communities and crop varieties; field validation under UK climatic and edaphic conditions would strengthen practical applicability.
Key measures
Root exudate signalling; metabolite exchange (oxaloacetic acid, flavonoids, triterpenoids, phytoalexin, coumarin, pyruvic acid); osmoprotectants (proline, sugars, amino acids); antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase); phytohormones (salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, abscisic acid); drought-induced physiological changes (water use efficiency, photosynthetic alterations, reactive oxygen species production)
Outcomes reported
This review synthesises research on plant-microbiome-metabolite interactions during drought stress, examining how reciprocal metabolite exchange, osmoprotectants, antioxidant enzymes and phytohormones contribute to enhanced crop drought resilience. It integrates metabolomic findings to explain the mechanistic basis of microbial-mediated drought tolerance in crops.
Topic tags
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