Root microbiomes under stress: from assembly to function

Plants constantly face stresses such as drought, pests, and diseases, which threaten crop productivity. While chemical fertilizers and pesticides have traditionally been used to improve plant growth and stress resilience, there is increasing interest in finding more sustainable solutions. One promising option is the use of root-associated microorganisms, which have been shown to promote plant growth and help plants cope with stress.
This thesis explores how root microbes change under plant stress and how they can support plant drought tolerance and resilience. It investigates how drought and simulated insect attack alter the root microbiome across different plant species, particularly within the cabbage family. It also examines how certain bacteria help plants survive drought, whether related plant species recruit similar stress-responsive microbes, and whether combining stress-related microbes into a synthetic community could better protect plants against stress.