Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryPeer-reviewed

Customized plant microbiome engineering for food security

Maria Batool, Lília C. Carvalhais, Brendan Fu, Peer M. Schenk

Trends in Plant Science · 2023

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Summary

This review examines the emerging field of customised plant microbiome engineering as a strategy to enhance crop performance and support food security. The authors synthesise evidence on how targeted modifications to plant-associated microbial communities—through inoculation, selection, and environmental management—may improve productivity, nutrient uptake, and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. As suggested by the 2023 publication date, the paper reflects contemporary perspectives on precision microbiology in agriculture, though field-scale adoption remains limited.

Regional applicability

Microbiome engineering principles are geography-agnostic and applicable to United Kingdom farming systems, particularly for crops and horticultural production. However, implementation will depend on regulatory approval of microbial inoculants, local soil conditions, and integration with existing UK agronomic practices. Transferability to commercial UK farm conditions requires further field validation.

Key measures

Plant-associated microbial communities; crop productivity metrics; stress tolerance; potential food security outcomes

Outcomes reported

The paper reviews customised microbiome engineering strategies and their potential applications to improve plant performance, yield, and stress resilience. It synthesises current evidence on targeted microbial interventions for food security.

Theme
Farming systems, soils & land use
Subject
Soil biology & microbiology
Study type
Narrative Review
Study design
Narrative review
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
Global
System type
Laboratory / in vitro
DOI
10.1016/j.tplants.2023.10.012
Catalogue ID
SNmomgx0m3-jq6snr

Topic tags

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