Research Progress in the Enhancement of Plant Resistance to Drought by Synthetic Microbial Communities

doi:10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2025-1446

Abstract

Abstract:

Global climate warming has led to more extensive, severe, and frequent droughts, which in turn have reduced plant productivity and posed a serious threat to agricultural production. Plants respond to drought stress through their own physiological regulation. As an important intermediate signal transmitter, rhizosphere microorganisms secrete signal molecules that can regulate plant phenotypes and enhance the ability of plants to resist drought. However, the natural rhizosphere microbial community in natural environment has high species diversity and functional complexity, which brings great challenges to the in-depth study of rhizosphere signaling mechanisms. In contrast to its clear functional structure, synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) show significant potential and unique advantages in accurately regulating rhizosphere signaling and systematically enhancing plant drought resistance. This paper reviews the design of SynComs to strengthen the positive effect signal flow in the rhizosphere from the perspective of strengthening plant-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions, and deeply analyzes the transmission mechanism from the perspectives of quorum sensing and cross-feeding, so as to provide a theoretical basis and practical strategies for establishing a predictable and efficient new path of agricultural microecological regulation.

Key words: synthetic microbial community, rhizosphere signal transduction, cross-feeding, quorum sensing, plant resistance to drought, rhizosphere microbiome

HE Ting-ting, LI Ling-juan. Research Progress in the Enhancement of Plant Resistance to Drought by Synthetic Microbial Communities[J]. Biotechnology Bulletin, 2026, 42(5): 51-62.

Figures/Tables 5

Fig. 1 Plant-microbe signaling transduction systemUnder drought conditions, plants and rhizosphere microorganisms work together as a whole to combat extreme conditions. Plants sense environmental changes, and their roots produce root exudates, mainly including primary metabolites (organic acids, amino acids, etc.) and secondary metabolites (flavonoids, strigolactones, coumarins, etc.). Rhizosphere microorganisms sense the changes in the soil rhizosphere environment, and also produce specific exudates (siderophores, extracellular polymers, phytohormones, etc.) in this environment, which ultimately changes the physiological state of plants. At this time, plants act as receptors, and special substances secreted by roots act as signal molecules to transmit “dangerous” signals to rhizosphere microorganisms, which secrete specific substances and feed back information to plants again, ultimately promoting plants to adjust their physiological state in response to drought stress

Fig. 2 Rhizosphere microbes assist plants in drought-tolerance

Fig. 3 Enhancement pathways in synthetic microbial community

Fig. 4 Pathways to enhance microbial interactionsIn the rhizosphere environment, screening the key strains that play a role may be the combination of bacteria and bacteria or the cross-border cooperation of bacteria and fungi, secreting carbon or nitrogen sources, enzymes, metabolites, etc. or providing nutrients for each other. By constructing a synthetic microbial community that interacts and cooperates with each other, quorum sensing signals can be amplified, cascade reactions occur, and the functions of key strains can be enhanced. In this way, through cross-feeding, niche complementation, enhancing signaling pathways to change the rhizosphere environment, and ultimately resource allocation and win-win cooperation can be achieved

Fig. 5 Effects and changes of rhizosphere microbiomeBiotic and abiotic stresses, together with root metabolites from surrounding plants, alter the rhizosphere environment. The native rhizosphere microbiome colonizing plant roots consequently restructures, adapting to the changed conditions and continuing to help plants withstand multiple stresses

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