Harnessing the Rhizosphere Soil Microbiome for Sustainable Agriculture: Recent Technological Developments and Future Challenges

Rhizosphere microorganisms always play a pivotal role in improving the crop’s health and productivity. The plant growth-promoting rhizosphere microorganisms are significantly important for sustainable agricultural practices. A proper understanding of the rhizosphere microbiome will engender new avenues for improving agricultural sustainability. Current developments in microbiology, microbial genomics, protein biochemistry, and other biotechnological advancements excavate the application of unseen natural treasures in modern crop production methods. Ongoing advancements in meta-genomics, meta-transcriptomics, and meta-proteomics have transfigured our initial understanding of the active participation of the microbiome in better crop growth and development. The fast development of the recent molecular intercession helps us to understand the role of the rhizosphere microbial counterparts in nutrient cycling, disease suppression, and plant growth promotion. CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing opens new doors in configuring the plant-rhizosphere microorganism interaction. These advancements help us to identify the key players in engineering the crop rhizosphere niche in terms of nutrient cycling, disease suppression, and plant growth promotion. The meta-information generated through the advanced molecular methods helps us to identify the targeted microorganisms for crop health improvements and reduces the reliance on synthetic agrochemicals. However, there are many hidden challenges in implementing the research outcomes in real-time field conditions. The major challenges include proper analysis of the machine-generated data for future technological advancement, stability of the microorganisms in field conditions, and cost-effectiveness up to the field-level application. Accordingly, this chapter provides a comprehensive elaboration on the recent technological developments in mining the rhizosphere microorganisms for sustainable agriculture and major challenges in employing the research outcomes at the field level.