review · Global Change Biology
Rising global temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and severe weather events directly affect the structure and functionality of rhizosphere microbial communities. Shifts in microbial diversity and activity influence essential soil processes, including nutrient cycling, enzyme synthesis, soil health maintenance, and natural pest and disease control. Because these underground relationships underpin plant health, understanding the interactions between crops and their associated soil microbiomes is vital for preserving agricultural productivity under changing climatic conditions. Practical responses include sustainable soil and water management, organic amendments, crop rotation, cover cropping, and the introduction of stress-tolerant, climate-resilient crop varieties. Advanced approaches such as precision agriculture and targeted microbiome modifications present viable pathways to mitigate climate stresses, enhance crop adaptability, and support long-term food security.
Climate change threatens global food supplies by disrupting the invisible soil ecosystems that nourish crops and defend them against disease. Understanding how soil microbes and plants support each other helps identify better ways to maintain fertile land, protect harvest yields, and build farming systems that remain productive despite extreme weather and rising temperatures.
The findings point towards applications in precision agriculture, biological soil amendments, and targeted microbiome engineering to support climate-resilient farming. Intended users include agricultural input developers, agronomists, and crop breeders. Because the abstract presents a broad review highlighting strategies and future research pathways, the technological concepts remain at an early, exploratory stage rather than ready for immediate deployment.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Understanding the intricate interplay between plant and soil microbiomes and their effects on plant growth and productivity is vital in a rapidly changing climate. This review explores the interconnected impacts of climate change on plant-soil microbiomes and their profound effects on agricultural productivity. The ongoing rise in global temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns and extreme weather events significantly affect the composition and function of microbial communities in the rhizosphere. Changes in microbial diversity and activity due to rising temperatures impact nutrient cycling, microbial enzyme synthesis, soil health and pest and disease management. These changes also influence the dynamics of soil microbe communities and their capability to promote plant health. As the climate changes, plants' adaptive capacity and microbial partners become increasingly crucial for sustaining agriculture. Mitigating the adverse effects of climate change on plant growth and agricultural productivity requires a comprehensive understanding of the interconnected mechanisms driving these processes. It highlights various strategies for mitigating and adapting to environmental challenges, including soil management, stress-tolerant crops, cover cropping, sustainable land and water management, crop rotation, organic amendments and the development of climate-resilient crop varieties. It emphasises the need for further exploration of plant-soil microbiomes within the broader context of climate change. Promising mitigation strategies, including precision agriculture and targeted microbiome modifications, offer valuable pathways for future research and practical implementation of global food security and climate change.
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DOI: 10.1111/gcb.70057
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