Next-Generation Bio-Products Sowing the Seeds of Success for Sustainable Agriculture

TLDR

Plants are meta‑organisms with a microbiome‑driven second genome that supports key functions, and recent discoveries are reshaping applied agriculture through biocontrol, stress protection, and biotechnological risk assessment. The study leverages omics and next‑generation sequencing alongside microscopy to uncover plant‑microbiome interactions. The authors demonstrate that next‑generation bio‑products offer a sustainable alternative in biocontrol, stress protection, and related agricultural applications.

Abstract

Plants have recently been recognized as meta-organisms due to a close symbiotic relationship with their microbiome. Comparable to humans and other eukaryotic hosts, plants also harbor a “second genome” that fulfills important host functions. These advances were driven by both “omics”-technologies guided by next-generation sequencing and microscopic insights. Additionally, these new results influence applied fields such as biocontrol and stress protection in agriculture, and new tools may impact (i) the detection of new bio-resources for biocontrol and plant growth promotion, (ii) the optimization of fermentation and formulation processes for biologicals, (iii) stabilization of the biocontrol effect under field conditions, and (iv) risk assessment studies for biotechnological applications. Examples are presented and discussed for the fields mentioned above, and next-generation bio-products were found as a sustainable alternative for agriculture.