Rhizosphere Microbiome as an Underexplored Resource for Agroecosystem Sustainability: Insights From the Carrot Root Zone.

Abstract

Rhizosphere microbiome is critical for nutrient turnover, pathogen suppression, and stress modulation, forming the basis of microbial products relevant to agriculture. However, microbial communities associated with carrot root zone remain relatively underexplored, with limited studies focused beyond descriptive surveys. Here, we synthesise existing information on the structural, functional, and ecological dynamics of the carrot rhizomicrobiome, highlighting its emerging yet underdeveloped mechanistic profiling. Existing literature indicates that carrot-associated microbes may play a role in nutrient mobilisation, growth promotion, and antagonism. The early proof-of-concept works demonstrate that the microbes may gain potential applications in biofertilizers, biostimulants, and biocontrol agents. While these functions are strongly influenced by soil properties, genotype, and management, only a few carrot-specific isolates/consortia have been multi-environmentally validated. The limited progress partly reflects the overall underrepresentation of vegetables in microbiome-based studies, compared to other major crops. We explored the key characteristics, economic, and agricultural significance of the carrot rhizosphere, highlighting its richness with beneficial microorganisms. Among the gaps identified are inadequate functional-level and field trial, and insufficient multi-omics integration, which currently limit biotechnological translation. Addressing these gaps through targeted isolation, mechanistic functional and field validation could position carrot rhizosphere microbiome as a valuable yet underexplored resource for enhancing agroecosystem sustainability.