Rhizospheric Engineering by Plant-Mediated Indirect Selection of Microbiome for Agricultural Sustainability

Abstract In an attempt to attain sustainability in agriculture, microbiome-based approaches have been investigated as “next-generation biologicals”. The top-down strategy of plant-mediated indirect selection of rhizospheric microbiome holds potential in generating a robust and efficient microbiome for enhancement of desired plant phenotype and its overall fitness. It involves multiple rounds of plant growth experiments under selection pressure such that the plant recruits a microbiome optimal for its fitness over the course of selection. In the review, we have critically discussed various aspects related to the approach, viz. methodological details, the current challenges faced by the technique, and the concerns related to the adoption of the plant-mediated indirect selection of microbiome at a larger scale. Besides, based on recent methodological developments and knowledge gained, we have proposed solutions for some of the issues, which will aid in popularizing the strategy.