Microbiome: What if the next green revolution is microbial?

The manipulation of soil microbiomes has historically been integral to agriculture. Today, microbiomes are recognized as a foundation for the next green revolution, offering sustainable solutions to address rising food demands and environmental challenges. As global food demand continues to rise, there is an urgent need to enhance agricultural productivity through sustainable approaches that reduce dependence on agrochemicals. However, environmental stressors like drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures contribute to significant crop losses, threatening food security. The plant microbiome plays a critical yet often overlooked role in regulating plant health by influencing nutrient cycling, pathogen suppression, and stress tolerance. Advances in phytomicrobiome engineering (PME) and synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) offer innovative strategies to enhance plant-microbe interactions for improved crop resilience. Integrating multi-omics technologies, gene editing and microbiome manipulation have deepened our understanding of plant microbe dynamics, enabling microbiome-based solutions for biofortification and biological control towards sustainable agriculture. Despite significant progress, challenges remain in translating microbiome research into practical applications. However, by harnessing microbial diversity and engineering beneficial interactions, microbiome-driven agriculture holds the potential to revolutionize food production. This review highlights the hidden yet transformative role of plant microbiomes in shaping the future of sustainable farming, balancing productivity with environmental resilience.