Plant-Bacteria Interaction in Nitrogen Metabolism: Advances and Perspectives for Sustainable Agriculture

Submission Deadline: 30 April 2026 View: 116 Submit to Special Issue

Guest Editors

Prof. Dr. Carlos Henrique Salvino Gadelha Meneses

Email: carlos.meneses@servidor.uepb.edu.br

Affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Agrárias, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Universitário, Campina Grande 58429-500, PB, Brazil

Homepage: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6007038539113248

Research Interests: biotechnology of free-living and associative nitrogen-fixing bacteria,  plant growth promotion mediated by beneficial microorganisms,  transcriptomic and functional analyses of plants inoculated with PGPBs, development of microbial inoculants and bioformulations, integration of molecular data with agronomic practices

Summary

Nitrogen is a key macronutrient that governs plant productivity and ecosystem functioning. In natural and agricultural systems, the interaction between plants and nitrogen-transforming bacteria (such as rhizobia, diazotrophs, and endophytes) plays a pivotal role in nitrogen acquisition and metabolism. Understanding the molecular, physiological, and ecological aspects of plant-bacteria relationships in nitrogen cycling is essential for reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers and enhancing crop resilience under climate change scenarios. In this context, this Special Issue, Plant-Bacteria Interaction in Nitrogen Metabolism: Advances and Perspectives for Sustainable Agriculture, aims to gather cutting-edge research addressing the biochemical, genomic, and biotechnological dimensions of this symbiotic interface.

The scope of this issue encompasses fundamental and applied studies that explore how bacterial partners influence plant nitrogen uptake, assimilation, and allocation, with implications for sustainable crop production. We welcome multidisciplinary approaches that integrate molecular biology, omics, physiology, agronomy, and environmental sciences.

Suggested themes include:
· Molecular mechanisms of plant–bacteria communication in nitrogen metabolism;
· Functional genomics and transcriptomics of nitrogen-transforming bacteria (symbiotic, associative, endophytic, and free-living);
· Role of plant-associated bacteria in nitrogen acquisition, assimilation, and remobilization;
· Impacts of abiotic and biotic stress on nitrogen-related plant–microbiome dynamics;
· Development and application of bacterial inoculants to enhance nitrogen use efficiency in crops;
· Synthetic biology and metabolic engineering of bacteria for improved nitrogen delivery;
· Advances in plant breeding for enhanced microbial nitrogen cooperation;
· Plant genotype influence on the recruitment of nitrogen-beneficial microbial communities;
· Environmental and ecological implications of microbial nitrogen cycling in agroecosystems.

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