Beneficial Root Microbiota: Transmogrifiers of Secondary Metabolism in Plants

All plants in the ecosystem are found in close association with complex group of microbes both belowground and aboveground surfaces. Reports suggest that the association can be harmful, neutral, or beneficial to the plants depending upon the category of colonizing microbes. It is among them that certain microorganisms bring about modification in the plant metabolome, maneuvering to modifications in the biosynthetic pathway of plant metabolites of known and unknown origin. Plant secondary metabolites are exceptional group of chemicals released as an end product of biosynthetic pathways which have numerous secondary roles in survival and growth of the plants. Among the multifarious roles played by the metabolites, some of the important traits include repulsion of pathogens and attraction of beneficial group of microbes. The present chapter thus summarizes the till-date understanding of the role of root microbiome on the secondary metabolic status of plants, how the remodeling affects the health and defense status of the concerned plants, and finally the knowledge hiatus that needs to be fulfilled for harnessing the full potential of microbes.