Endophytic microorganisms—bacteria and fungi that colonise internal plant tissues without inducing overt disease—are a functionally important and still partly hidden component of the plant microbiome. Advances in cultivation-independent methods and multi-omics technologies have, over the past two decades, turned endophyte research from a largely descriptive, taxonomy-led pursuit into a mechanistic science with real bearing on sustainable crop production. This review critically synthesises the literature on the biology, mechanisms, and agricultural relevance of plant-associated endophytic microbes. It examines how endophytes colonise host tissues, the routes by which they are transmitted within and between plant generations, and the ecological logic underlying host specificity and core microbiome assembly. The principal mechanisms through which endophytes promote plant growth—phytohormone biosynthesis, biological nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilisation, siderophore-mediated iron acquisition, and modulation of ethylene via 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase—are discussed alongside indirect mechanisms of pathogen suppression, including antibiosis, competitive exclusion, and induced systemic resistance. Particular attention is paid to the role of endophytes in conferring tolerance to drought, salinity, heavy-metal contamination, and temperature extremes, and to specialised symbioses such as those formed by Serendipita indica, dark septate endophytes, and Epichloë species. The review then considers how this biology has been, or might be, translated into biofertilisers, biopesticides, biostimulants, seed-applied inoculants, and phytoremediation strategies, before evaluating the contribution of omics technologies and synthetic microbial communities to rational inoculant design. Persistent obstacles to field-scale reliability, formulation stability, and regulatory harmonisation are critically appraised. The review concludes that endophytic microbes represent a scientifically mature but commercially underexploited resource for climate-resilient agriculture, and identifies where mechanistic understanding still needs to be reconciled with the variability of field performance.
B. Santhosh, Waghmare Vijaykumar Veerappa, V. Mamtha et al.· Journal of Advances in Micro...· 0 citations
Drought constitutes one of the most pervasive abiotic constraints limiting global crop productivity, with its frequency and intensity projected to increase substantially under ongoing climate change. This narrative review synthesises contemporary evidence on the genetic, physiological, and agronomic dimensions of drought resilience in major food crops, drawing on peer-reviewed literature published primarily between 2000 and 2026. Physiologically, drought impairs stomatal conductance, suppresses photosynthetic carbon assimilation, disturbs osmotic equilibrium, and restricts root-mediated water acquisition, with reproductive stages being disproportionately vulnerable. At the genetic level, the deployment of quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, transcription-factor engineering, CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, and the overexpression of stress-responsive functional genes has opened novel avenues for enhancing tolerance without compromising yield potential. Breeding programmes have increasingly integrated marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genomic selection to accelerate genetic gain, whilst high-throughput phenotyping platforms now enable rapid assessment of drought-adaptive traits at a population scale. Agronomic strategies, including deficit irrigation, conservation tillage, intercropping, and application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), provide complementary levers for sustaining productivity under water-limited conditions. Emerging integrative approaches that combine multi-omics, digital precision agriculture, and policy-enabled climate-smart frameworks are highlighted as critical pathways for translating laboratory and field insights into scalable solutions. The review identifies persistent knowledge gaps—including the limited translation of genomic advances to smallholder contexts and the underexplored potential of microbiome engineering—and calls for a convergence of disciplinary expertise, equitable technology transfer, and coherent policy support to achieve drought-resilient food systems globally.
B. Santhosh, V. Sanjivkumar, H. B. Gowda et al.· Journal of Advances in Biolo...· 0 citations