Microbiome: A vital resource for changing climate and food securities

We need to increase food production to 45% to sustainably feed a projected human population of 9.6 billion by 2050. The sustainability of conventional plant growth practices has become increasingly challenging due to climatic changes (cold, heat, flooding, and drought). Microbiome, associated with plant life, has been coined as a “second functional genome” composed of highly diverse and active microbial symbionts. This presentation focuses on how microbiome engineering can be utilized to overcome the adverse impacts of climate change. We used cutting-edge molecular, genome sequencing, and bioinformatics approaches to dig deeper into understanding the functional role of microbiomes. We attribute core-microbiome species' diversity as a significant response function in resistance against climate-induced changes. We evaluated microbes' gene networks and biosynthetic pathways for producing beneficial metabolites and establishing strong symbiotic relationships to combat stress-factors. Thus, microbiome engineering can reprogram the adverse effects of climatic stresses on plant productivity.