Plant-Microbe Interaction: Current Developments and Future Challenges

Microbial interactions with plants result in beneficial as well as harmful impacts, which have a major role in ecosystem processes. Negative interactions by microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) end up with plant diseases threatening the agriculture worldwide. On the contrary, positive interactions have beneficial implications useful in pharmaceutical, biotechnological and agricultural applications. In the recent past, research has been focused towards understanding the complex molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions to develop microbe-based fertilizers (bioprotectants), phytosanitizers, management of rhizosphere microbes for improved nutrient uptake and disease control. The current research has focused towards following the mechanisms of interaction between host and pathogen for sustainable agriculture. This chapter addresses the recent advances in interactions of plant and microbes to understand the beneficial impacts (PGPR and PGPF) followed by applications of OMICS, small RNAs, systems biology and metabolomics engineering with notes on challenges in future agriculture.