Role of Crop Microbiomes in Crop Production Under Changing Climate: Past, Present and Future

Global temperatures are rising, and many countries are experiencing more frequent and severe droughts as a result of climate change. The performance of plants and the yields of crops are seriously threatened by these anthropogenic pressures. The effects of biotic and abiotic challenges on plant fitness are moderated by the microbiome associated with plants. A number of agronomic functions are supported with association of plant with its microbial symbionts, highlighting the significance of such interaction in the advantageous roles of plants. It is hypothesized that the plant-associated microbes are primarily concerned for the plants’ short-term strategies to climate change (years to decades), whereas association of microbes with plant throughout eco-evolution will be equally responsible for the adaptation of plants over the long term (centuries to millennia). It will be easier to predict how climate change will affect primary productivity and to develop strategies for management and policy that will improve plant reliability if we have a better understanding of how plants and their microbiomes interact with the environment and how microbiomes can lessen the negative effects. Increased output and stability could be achieved by simulating symbiotic relationships between plants, soil and microorganisms through a deeper functional and mechanistic understanding of plant–microbial ecosystems.