Plant-Microbe Interactions in Ecosystems Functioning and Sustainability

Abstract The plant-microbe interaction plays an important role to achieve sustainability in the ecosystem. The functional balance between soil process and plant growth directly controls ecosystem functioning and its sustainability. The interface between soil and plant roots is a chemically complex environment that facilitates a suitable atmosphere for the development of diverse microorganisms. Herein, microorganisms drive in functions of soil processing like nutrient recycling, functional stability, and sustainability of the soil ecosystem in relation to the plant growth and development. In nature, plant-microbe interactions occurs in two different aspects such as negative interaction, which leads to disease development in plant and positive interaction that mediates stimulation of plant growth. The microbial community present in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere is dynamic and controlled by different biotic and abiotic factors such as physiochemical properties of the soil, biological activities of the plants, chemical signals between the plant and microbes, and environmental factors. Nevertheless, pollutant-degrading microorganisms also play a considerable role in the soil processing by enhancing the effective bioremediation processes. Recent advancement in plant-microbe interactions underlying structural principles of microbial community and significant knowledge on ecosystem will offer directional avenues for the development of novel techniques toward the application of beneficial microorganisms in plant growth promotion, ecosystem functioning, restoration, and environmental sustainability.