# Root Microbiota: Orchestrating Architecture‐Smart Crops

## TL;DR

This paper explores how root microbes help shape rice plant structure, offering new ways to breed crops that adapt better to changing environments.

## Contribution

The paper introduces the concept of 'holobiont architecture' for dynamic plant-microbiome interactions in crop breeding.

## Key findings

- Root microbiota directly regulate rice tiller number, a key architectural trait.
- Microbial orchestration enables dynamic fine-tuning of plant architecture.
- The holobiont framework improves phenotypic plasticity and environmental resilience in crops.

## Abstract

Crops depend on microbial partners for their growth, development, and overall resilience. A pivotal understanding has emerged showing the direct involvement of the root microbiota in regulating the tiller number of rice, a crucial architecture that influences yield. Novel frontiers in microbiological applications for agriculture highlight the profound role of the root microbiota in shaping crop architecture to boost productivity. We propose that improvements in crop production are moving from a genetic perspective on “architecture” to embracing “holobiont architecture.” As such, microbial orchestration provides a dynamic fine‐tune function for breeding “architecture‐smart crops” characterised by phenotypic plasticity under environmental uncertainty.

Root‐associated microbiota play an important role in shaping crop architecture. The concept of “holobiont architecture” is proposed, in which plant architecture is dynamically fine‐tuned through synergistic plant–microbiome interactions. This framework offers novel avenues for breeding architecture‐smart crops with improved phenotypic plasticity and environmental resilience.