The rhizosphere microbiome as a decentralized immune system

Araujo et al., 2026

Plant immunity should be reconsidered beyond the boundaries of the plant genome. We propose that the rhizosphere microbiome may function analogously to a decentralized immune system, contributing adaptive defenselike properties and memory effects. In this forum article, we discuss how this perspective reframes immunity as an emergent property of plant–microbiome interactions, shifting the focus from a solitary host toward an integrated holobiont

https://www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/abstract/S0966-842X(26)00065-X

Biological Pesticides as Viable Alternative to Synthetic Pesticides for Sustainable Agriculture and Nutrition: A Systematic Review 

Assefa et al., 2026

The overuse of synthetic pesticides in agriculture has raised significant environmental and health concerns. Biopesticides have emerged as viable, environmentally compatible alternatives. However, recent comprehensive reviews integrating all biopesticide categories and emphasizing their contribution to synthetic-pesticide-free and health-safe products remain limited. This PRISMA-based systematic review synthesizes 98 peer-reviewed studies. It evaluates the main categories of biopesticides: microbial, biochemical, and plant-incorporated protectants (PIPs), their roles in sustainable agriculture and integrated pest management (IPM), as well as the future trajectory of biopesticides. Microbial agents (bacteria, fungi, viruses) show strong target specificity and reduced environmental persistence. Biochemical pesticides, derived from plant extracts and pheromones, disrupt the behavior or physiology of pests with minimal non-target toxicity. PIPs, developed through genetic engineering, provide crop-embedded protection and greatly reduce chemical inputs. Despite these advantages, inconsistent field performance, short shelf life, regulatory hurdles, and low farmer awareness limit commercialization. Innovations such as RNA interference (RNAi), Nano-formulations, and microbial consortia offer promising solutions. This review underscores the need for better delivery systems, harmonized regulations, and coordinated outreach to accelerate adoption. Overall, biopesticides are a scientifically robust and essential component of sustainable crop protection.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sae2.70139

 

Breeding for multi-stress resilience in crops: Myth or possibility? 

Khazaei et al., 2026

Social Impact Statement

Climate change threatens millions of farmers worldwide by exposing crops to multiple concurrent or sequential environmental stresses such as drought, heat, waterlogging, and diseases. Although crops have long been selected under naturally occurring multi-stress conditions, breeding pipelines largely focus on optimal or single-stress environments, leaving complex stress combinations under-addressed. Developing crop cultivars that withstand multiple stress scenarios is essential for ensuring food security, food safety, and strengthening farmer resilience. Breeding for multi-stress resilience seems feasible but requires international collaboration among applied crop scientists, pure biologists, and policymakers to develop climate-resilient crops that sustain people and ecosystems.

Summary

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of combined abiotic and biotic stressors that may occur simultaneously or sequentially, dramatically reducing crop growth and yield stability. Plant breeding activities primarily target crop improvement for a single stressor, limiting crop resilience under complex environmental conditions. This opinion paper highlights the complexity of crop breeding for multi-stress growing conditions and discusses major challenges and opportunities to enable plant breeders to develop more climate-resilient crops. It also outlines the importance of integrating conventional breeding approaches with multi-omics and novel breeding technologies to develop multi-stress resilient crop cultivars. Identifying and validating key regulatory genes involved in multi-stress resilience and evaluating their performance across diverse genetic backgrounds, environments, and stress combination scenarios are needed. Although achieving complete multi-stress resilience remains an immense challenge, advances in integrative approaches and cross-disciplinary collaboration are steadily improving the potential to enhance crop resilience to multiple environmental stresses.

Graphical Abstract

Climate change threatens millions of farmers worldwide by exposing crops to multiple concurrent or sequential environmental stresses such as drought, heat, waterlogging, and diseases. Although crops have long been selected under naturally occurring multi-stress conditions, breeding pipelines largely focus on optimal or single-stress environments, leaving complex stress combinations under-addressed. Developing crop cultivars that withstand multiple stress scenarios is essential for ensuring food security, food safety, and strengthening farmer resilience. Breeding for multi-stress resilience seems feasible but requires international collaboration among applied crop scientists, pure biologists, and policymakers to develop climate-resilient crops that sustain people and ecosystems.

https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.70185?af=R