9 - Maize microbiome: current insights for the sustainable agriculture

Abstract

In the past few decades course, the global human population has grown tremendously and reached 7.712 billion counts by 2019. It is expected to cross the whopping mark of 10 billion by 2053. This every second escalating growth has also directly increased the application of human-made fertilizers, the intensity of agricultural practices, and much wider use of chemicals like weedicides, insecticides, and multiple diseases controlling agents. However, along with other anthropogenic activities, the situation has somewhere worsened. As a result, the primary focus of the current age researchers is to increase the overall output yield of every crop as well as maintaining or enhancing soil fertility in an eco-friendly manner. Currently, various groups of researchers are working throughout the globe via different approaches. One of the prominent options that emerged during the last decade is microbiome engineering. It includes the engineering of every component of epiphytic, endophytic, and rhizospheric microbiome. It creates a unique set of conditions to enhance the interaction between plants and their associated microbes. However, the prerequisite for microbial engineering is the ample amount of knowledge of the plant’s microbiome. One of the prominent global crops in which the microbiome studies have been conducted in maize (Zea mays L., family Poaceae). Therefore, in the current book chapter, we have critically reviewed the relevant literature regarding the maize microbiome chiefly from the last decade. Additionally, the isolation method of maize microbiome and microbiome targeted maize breeding has been discussed.