Designing a healthy plant microbiome by customized single strains, synthetic consortia, and microbiome transplants

Abstract: Intensive agriculture is an important factor contributing to changes in the
Anthropocene. The use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and monocultures of high-yield crops have not only led to the crossing of planetary boundaries but have also changed the plant microbiome. This man-made epoch is characterized by decreased biodiversity, evenness, and host specificity and increased abundance of copiotrophic microbes, multi-resistant pathogens, and hypermutators. The plant microbiome is connected to both the soil and the human gut, influencing health outcomes throughout the food chain. Therefore, it is crucial to understand which criteria are important for a healthy microbiome and how we can manage plant microbiomes to improve host health.