Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42548903›Full record

ReviewiMeta2026

The plant microbiome: From ecological foundations to precision microbial engineering for sustainable agriculture.

Mi Wei, Tengxiang Lian, Liying Chen, Lanxiang Wang, Junjie Ye, Xiaofang Yao, Shilong Duan, Ziyu Lu, Jinji Tu, Hongfu Li and 17 more

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in iMeta, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

27 authors.

Mi WeiGuangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Precise Breeding of Future Crops, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5761-3970
Tengxiang LianGuangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Precise Breeding of Future Crops, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1131-2491
Liying ChenInstitute of Plant Protection, Beijing Key Laboratory of Environment Friendly Management on Fruit Diseases and Pests in North China, Key Laboratory of Environment Friendly Management On Fruit and Vegetable Pests in North China (Co-Construction By Ministry and Province) Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences Beijing China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1641-9047
Lanxiang WangState Key Laboratory for Development and Utilization of Forest Food Resources, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, The Southern Modern Forestry Collaborative Innovation Center College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing China.
Junjie YeNew Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Laboratory of Plant Carbon Capture, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai China.
Xiaofang YaoState Key Laboratory of Tropical Crop Breeding, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Shenzhen China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3434-6996
Shilong DuanState Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences; Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education China Agricultural University Beijing China.
Ziyu LuSchool of Agriculture and Biotechnology Sun Yat-sen University Shenzhen China.
Jinji TuSchool of Agriculture and Biotechnology Sun Yat-sen University Shenzhen China.
Hongfu LiCollege of Agriculture and Biotechnology Zhejiang University Hangzhou China.
Xin-Yue XuJiangsu Key Laboratory for Pathogens and Ecosystems, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Industrialization of Microbial Resources College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University Nanjing China.
Jie ZhouGuangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Precise Breeding of Future Crops, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China.
Junliang HeGuangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Precise Breeding of Future Crops, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China.
Feiying ZhuYuelushan Laboratory Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences Changsha China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2747-2836
Paola BonfanteDepartment of Life Sciences and Systems Biology University of Turin Turin Italy.
Lam-Son Phan TranInstitute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Department of Plant and Soil Science Texas Tech University Lubbock Texas USA.
Zhiqiang PangCAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resources and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Mengla China.
Xin ZhouState Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3143-2079
Zhihui XuJiangsu Provincial Key lab for Organic-based Fertilizer Creation and Soil Health Manipulation, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Saline Soil Resources Utilization and Ecological Conservation, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource-Saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China.
Lin ZhangState Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences; Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education China Agricultural University Beijing China.
Mengcen WangCollege of Agriculture and Biotechnology Zhejiang University Hangzhou China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7169-6779
Xiaolin WangGuangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Precise Breeding of Future Crops, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4876-2940
Chang-Fu TianState Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, MOA Key Laboratory of Soil Microbiology, Rhizobium Research Center, College of Biological Sciences China Agricultural University Beijing China.
Yong-Xin LiuState Key Laboratory of Tropical Crop Breeding, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Shenzhen China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1832-9835
Kai SunJiangsu Key Laboratory for Pathogens and Ecosystems, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Industrialization of Microbial Resources College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University Nanjing China.
Ertao WangNew Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Laboratory of Plant Carbon Capture, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5178-3530
Xianan XieGuangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Precise Breeding of Future Crops, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6515-8779

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Plants are best understood as evolutionary holobionts, in which the host and its associated microbiomes operate as an integrated unit to influence growth, health, and stress resilience. This comprehensive review synthesizes the most current knowledge of plant-associated microbiomes across key ecological compartments, including the rhizosphere, endosphere, phyllosphere, and seeds, highlighting their assembly drivers, functional mechanisms, and translational potential. We dissect the molecular foundations of rhizobial and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbioses, the plant-AM fungus-bacterium continuum, alongside emerging concepts including the aerial root mucilagesphere, phyllosphere homeostasis, and the pathobiome. We further explore host genetic, metabolic, and environmental determinants of microbiome assembly, and present cutting-edge methodologies ranging from quantitative profiling to artificial intelligence-driven synthetic community design. Finally, we outline a strategic blueprint for harnessing standardized synthetic microbiomes and precision microbiome engineering to advance sustainable agriculture. This integrative framework bridges fundamental ecology with practical applications, delineating a path toward climate-resilient crop production.

Indexed as

microbiome assemblymycorrhizal symbiosispathobiomephyllosphereplant microbiomerhizospheresynthetic community

Identifiers

PMID42548903
PMCPMC13430161

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.