Molecular Strategies and Agronomic Impacts of Plant-Microbe Symbioses

Abstract

The molecular mechanism of the agronomically important nutritional and defensive plantmicrobe symbioses are reviewed. These symbioses are based on the signaling interactions which result in the development of novel tissue/cellular structures and of extended metabolic capacities in the partners which improve greatly the adaptive potential of plants due to an increased tolerance to biotic or abiotic stresses. The molecular, genetic and ecological knowledge on plant-microbe interactions provide a strategy for a sustainable crop production based on substituting the agrochemicals (mineral fertilizers, pesticides) by the microbial inoculants. An improvement of plantmicrobe symbioses should involve the coordinated partners' modifications resulted in complementary combinations of their genotypes.