Plant–soil–microbiome interactions: mechanisms, advances, and challenges in sustainable agriculture and healthy agroecosystems

The focus of this article is to summarize current knowledge of plant-associated microbiomes, which play a key role in plant health and in maintaining soil quality. Such microbiomes, comprising bacteria, fungi, archaea, algae, nematodes, and protists, perform various functions, including nutrient transformation, pathogen protection, and stress mitigation. Microbial communities are commonly used as an indicator of ecosystem health. Soil microbiome diversity depends on environmental factors (including biotic and abiotic stresses), which can alter microbial composition, thereby modifying microbial interactions and plant resilience. Biofertilizers, biopreparations, and microbial inoculants or consortia have been…