From trade‐off to synergy: microbial insights into enhancing plant growth and immunity

• Published in: Plant biotechnology journal Vol. 22; no. 9; pp. 2461 - 2471
• Main Authors: Ku, Yee‐Shan, Liao, Yi‐Jun, Chiou, Shian‐Peng, Lam, Hon‐Ming, Chan, Ching
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.09.2024; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Bacteria; Crop yield; Disease control; Food plants; Food security; Fungi; Genetic engineering; Genomes; Growth‐defence trade‐off; Hypotheses; Immunity; Mass spectrometry; Meta-analysis; Metabolism; Metabolites; Microbial activity; Microbiomes; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Molecular modelling; Nitrogen; Pathogens; Pests; Physiology; phytohormone; phytopathogen inhibition; Plant diseases; Plant growth; plant growth‐promoting bacteria; plant growth‐promoting fungi; plant immunity; Regulation; Review; Scientific imaging; Sugarcane; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Growth‐defence trade‐off; phytopathogen inhibition; plant growth‐promoting fungi; plant growth‐promoting bacteria; plant immunity; phytohormone
• ISSN: 1467-7644; 1467-7652; 1467-7652
• DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14360

Summary The reduction in crop yield caused by pathogens and pests presents a significant challenge to global food security. Genetic engineering, which aims to bolster plant defence mechanisms, emerges as a cost‐effective solution for disease control. However, this approach often incurs a growth penalty, known as the growth‐defence trade‐off. The precise molecular mechanisms governing this phenomenon are still not completely understood, but they generally fall under two main hypotheses: a “passive” redistribution of metabolic resources, or an “active” regulatory choice to optimize plant fitness. Despite the knowledge gaps, considerable practical endeavours are in the process of disentangling growth from defence. The plant microbiome, encompassing both above‐ and below‐ground components, plays a pivotal role in fostering plant growth and resilience to stresses. There is increasing evidence which indicates that plants maintain intimate associations with diverse, specifically selected microbial communities. Meta‐analyses have unveiled well‐coordinated, two‐way communications between plant shoots and roots, showcasing the capacity of plants to actively manage their microbiota for balancing growth with immunity, especially in response to pathogen incursions. This review centers on successes in making use of specific root‐associated microbes to mitigate the growth‐defence trade‐off, emphasizing pivotal advancements in unravelling the mechanisms behind plant growth and defence. These findings illuminate promising avenues for future research and practical applications.