Summary
This narrative review examines the diversity and functional roles of endophytic bacteria in banana plants (Musa acuminata AAA), with particular emphasis on their potential as probiotic synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) to enhance crop sustainability. The authors synthesise evidence from high-throughput sequencing and culture-dependent methods to discuss how plants recruit microbial communities under stress ('cry for help' mechanism) and explore the prospect of deploying engineered endophytic consortia to increase resilience against Fusarium wilt and abiotic stresses whilst reducing excessive nitrogen and pesticide inputs. The review addresses a critical gap in banana production systems, which ranks fourth globally for food security but faces mounting pressure from pathogenic fungi and unsustainable agronomic practices.
UK applicability
This review has limited direct applicability to UK banana production, as commercial banana cultivation is not practised in the United Kingdom. However, the microbiome-engineering principles discussed may inform UK horticulture research on disease-resilient crops and reduction of synthetic input dependency in other high-value fruit systems.
Key measures
Endophytic bacterial diversity, keystone taxa identification, plant resilience to biotic and abiotic stress, microbial community composition assessed via high-throughput sequencing
Outcomes reported
This review synthesises knowledge of endophytic bacterial diversity in banana plants and discusses the potential of synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) to enhance plant resilience and production. The authors examine how probiotic endophytes might reduce reliance on nitrogen amendments and pesticides whilst mitigating risks from Fusarium wilt and climate stress.
Topic tags
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