Rhizosphere, Rhizosphere Biology, and Rhizospheric Engineering

The rhizosphere is possibly the utmost multifaceted microbiological environment on the planet earth, encompassing a unified grid of plant roots, soil, and various microbiological consortiums. This thin zone of interaction existing amid the soil particles and plant roots establishes the primary plant-influenced habitat which is further stumbled upon by soil microbes. The rhizospheric environ is sturdily affected by the plant metabolism via the discharge of plant-fixed photosynthates as a collection of diverse root exudates. This rhizospheric portion is of utmost significance for the ecosystem amenities, for example, carbon and water cycling, crop production, nutrient trapping, and carbon uptake and storage. It is also helpful in mitigating various kinds of stresses like drought, salinity stress, temperature stress, heavy metal stress, etc. The various beneficial attributes of rhizospheric interactions can be selectively enhanced by the engineering of the rhizosphere. The different rhizospheric components can be engineered for plant health promotion and therefore can be used as tools for combatting various challenges confronted by the agro-ecosystems. The engineered rhizosphere, thus, can be used to advance the agricultural production under stressful conditions and can also prove to be a successful tool for an enhanced drawdown of atmospheric carbon dioxide to stabilized carbon pools in soil ecosystems.