The international renowned journal "New Phytologist" has recently published online the latest viewpoint titled "Dissection of rhizosphere microbiome and exploiting strategies for sustainable agriculture" by the Innovation Team of Agricultural Microbial Resources of the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), presenting strategies for the classification and application of rhizosphere microbiomes.

Rhizosphere microbiome play a crucial role in the nutrition and health of host plants. However, the intricate interactions among microorganisms, host plants, and rhizosphere environments pose challenges for the precise regulation of rhizosphere microbiomes. There is an urgent need to devise effective strategies for controlling rhizosphere microbiomes, thereby promoting their application in agricultural production.

Based on the primary driving factors of rhizosphere microbiomes, the authors proposes a classification and regulation strategy for these microbiomes. It categorizes rhizosphere microbiomes into the environment-dominated variable microbiome, determined by soil properties, and the plant genetic-dominated heritable microbiome. The composition of the environment-dominated variable microbiome is determined by the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the rhizosphere soil, while the assembly of the plant genetic-dominated heritable microbiome is determined by plant genetics, independent of the rhizosphere environment (see Figure 1). For the environment-dominated variable microbiome, breakthroughs can be made through the establishment of precise predictive models for reshaping rhizosphere microbiomes via soil management, and on the mechanism of how the core microbiome drive the stabilization of the structure and function of the rhizosphere microbiomes. As for the plant genetic-dominated heritable microbiome, further exploration of the functional characteristics of key genes in crops is needed to provide genetic resources for breeding new crop cultivars with "rhizosphere microbiome synergy" (see Figure 2).

Figure 1. Classification of Rhizosphere Microbiomes

Figure 2. Strategies for the Classification and Application of Rhizosphere Microbiomes

Dr. Zhang Ruifu from the IARRP is the corresponding author of the paper, while Associate Professor Xun Weibing from the College of Resources and Environmental Sciences at Nanjing Agricultural University and Dr. Liu Yunpeng from the IARRP are the co-first authors. This research received funding from the National Key Research and Development Program, as well as the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences' Science and Technology Innovation Project.

Original paper link: http://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19697