Summary
This review synthesises recent advances in understanding how microbial biocontrol agents interact with rhizosphere microbiome communities to enhance plant growth, nutrient acquisition, and stress resilience in sustainable agricultural systems. The authors highlight mechanistic pathways through which BCAs influence community assembly and functional processes, whilst identifying critical knowledge gaps in inoculant persistence, ecological compatibility, and field-scale effectiveness. A microbiome-informed conceptual framework is proposed, emphasising trait-based screening, host–microbiome co-optimisation, and integration of BCAs into resilient integrated pest management strategies for climate-smart crop production.
UK applicability
The framework and BCA strategies reviewed are globally applicable and highly relevant to UK agriculture, where pressure to reduce synthetic pesticide use and build soil health is increasing. The emphasis on integrated pest management and microbiome-informed crop protection aligns with UK environmental stewardship and sustainable intensification policy objectives.
Key measures
BCA-mediated regulation of plant defence signalling, nutrient cycling, stress-associated responses, microbiome community assembly, functional processes, and microbiome resilience under biotic and abiotic stress conditions
Outcomes reported
This narrative review synthesises evidence on how microbial biocontrol agents (BCAs) modulate rhizosphere microbial communities and enhance plant stress tolerance. The paper identifies knowledge gaps in inoculant persistence and ecological compatibility, and proposes a microbiome-informed framework for precision-designed synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) and trait-based screening.
Topic tags
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