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