The Role of Soil Microbiome in Driving Plant Performance: An Overview Based on Ecological and Ecosystem Advantages to the Plant Community

Soil ecosystems comprise rich mixtures of diverse micro-organisms, crop debris, and organic matter; all of which cumulatively play a pivotal role in crop growth, health, and productivity. In particular, plant performance is profoundly altered by both the presence of the aforementioned parameters as well as their total composition altogether. Micro-organisms present in the soil constitute the soil microbiome community that has been shown to offer a plethora of benefits to the performance of plants and their overall productivity. It is these same microbial communities that compete with plant pathogens and could moreover induce immune responses in surrounding host plants, while at the same time facilitating plant growth through the secretion of growth regulators and even catalyzing the solubilization of vital macronutrients and minerals. Given that plants are sessile organisms that heavily rely on their ability to access nutrients from the soil for their survival, it becomes paramount for them to co-evolve with specified fungi, bacteria, and other microbes that confer these nutrients to them and subsequently foster their tolerance to biotic and abiotic stressors. Soil in itself contains a largely diverse population of living microscopic organisms, whose biomass directly affects the well-being of the plant. Notably, soil microbiome encapsulates both advantageous and deleterious micro-organisms, and researchers need to be aware of which of the two are present in the soil in large quantities, to determine the merits that will be conferred to crops for their subsequent health and productivity. In the current review, the important functionalities of the soil microbiome, crucial components of ideal soil microbiota, the interplay between soil microbiome and plant stress alleviation, and the pivotal role played by the soil microbiome in driving plant performance are discussed.