Guest Editor(s)
Prof. Dr. Helena Freitas
Email: hfreitas@uc.pt
Affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
Homepage:
Research Interests: ecology, biodiversity, agroecology, environment and sustainability
Dr. Ying Ma
Email: yingma@uc.pt
Affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
Homepage:
Research Interests: plant-microbe interaction, biotemediation, agriculture, climate change biology
Summary
Plants are continuously exposed to a wide range of environmental stresses, including drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, nutrient imbalance, heavy metal contamination, and pathogen pressure. These challenges severely constrain plant growth, productivity, and ecosystem sustainability, particularly under the context of global climate change. Increasing evidence demonstrates that plant-associated microorganisms play essential roles in enhancing plant resilience by regulating nutrient acquisition, stress signaling, phytohormone homeostasis, antioxidant defense, and adaptation to adverse environments. Understanding the complex interactions between plants and beneficial microbes is therefore critical for developing sustainable strategies to improve crop performance and environmental resilience.
This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the mechanisms, applications, and future perspectives of plant–microbe symbiosis under environmental stress conditions. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that provide novel insights into microbial-mediated stress tolerance and plant adaptation.
Suggested themes include, but are not limited to:
(1) molecular mechanisms underlying plant–microbe interactions during abiotic and biotic stresses;
(2) beneficial microorganisms and their roles in enhancing plant stress tolerance;
(3) microbiome assembly, ecological functions, and plant-associated microbial networks;
(4) microbial metabolites, signaling molecules, and regulatory pathways involved in stress adaptation;
(5) development and application of microbial inoculants, biofertilizers, and microbiome-based technologies for sustainable agriculture.
Keywords
plant–microbe interactions, symbiosis, plant-associated microbiome, stress resilience, plant growth-promoting microorganisms, rhizosphere microbiome, sustainable agriculture
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