Bioscience Evidence 2024, Vol.14, No.2, 44-55 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 44 Research Report Open Access Engineered SynComs for Climate-Resilient Agriculture: Field Trials and Performance Evaluation Chunyang Zhan Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China Corresponding author email: chunyang.zhan@hibio.org Bioscience Evidence, 2024, Vol.14, No.2 doi: 10.5376/be.2024.14.0007 Received: 21 Feb., 2024 Accepted: 03 Mar., 2024 Published: 15 Mar., 2024 Copyright © 2024 Zhan, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Zhan C.Y., 2024, Engineered syncoms for climate-resilient agriculture: field trials and performance evaluation, Bioscience Evidence, 14(2): 44-55 (doi: 10.5376/be.2024.14.0007) Abstract Engineered SynComs, designed to enhance plant growth and yield under a variety of abiotic stresses, have shown considerable potential in promoting plant growth and yield in harsh climates, providing a promising tool for climate-resilient agriculture. Including drought, salinity and extreme temperatures. This research synthesizes the results of multiple field trials conducted in a variety of agricultural environments under different climatic conditions. Field trials showed that SynComs significantly improved crop performance under various environmental stress conditions, with key observations including increased biomass, root length and yield, as well as enhanced stress resistance. Specifically, plants treated with SynCom showed higher resistance, such as maintaining higher chlorophyll levels under saline-alkali stress and reducing oxidative damage at extreme temperatures. This study hopes to assess the development and field performance of engineered synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) designed for climate-resilient agriculture, with a focus on their ability to improve plant health, yield, and stress resistance to fully utilize their potential and ensure consistent performance across crops and environmental conditions. Keywords Engineered SynComs; Climate resilience; Crop yield; Environmental stress; Field trials 1 Introduction Climate change poses a significant threat to global agriculture, affecting crop productivity and food security. Variations in annual rainfall, average temperature, heat waves, and changes in pest and microbial populations are some of the critical factors influenced by climate change that adversely impact agricultural systems (Raza et al., 2019). These environmental stressors lead to biotic and abiotic stresses, which compromise crop yields and threaten food security worldwide. The urgency to develop climate-resilient agricultural practices has never been greater, as traditional farming methods struggle to cope with the rapidly changing climate (Raza et al., 2019). Engineered synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) have emerged as a promising solution to enhance crop resilience and productivity under adverse environmental conditions. SynComs are designed consortia of microorganisms that are tailored to perform specific beneficial functions for plants, such as promoting growth, enhancing nutrient acquisition, and providing resistance against pathogens (Souza et al., 2020; Marín et al., 2021; Martins et al., 2023). By leveraging advances in microbial ecology, genetics, and computational methods, researchers can identify and assemble microbial communities that offer stable and effective inoculants for agriculture (Souza et al., 2020; Martins et al., 2023). These communities are not randomly assembled but are structured based on ecological theories and functional screening to ensure they thrive under environmental stressors and maintain long-term stability (Wang et al., 2021; Martins et al., 2023). This systematic study aims to evaluate the performance of engineered SynComs in field trials and their potential to create climate-resilient agricultural systems. By reviewing recent advances and experimental outcomes, this study seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of how SynComs can be effectively utilized to enhance crop resilience against climate-induced stresses. The significance of this study lies in its potential to bridge knowledge gaps and offer practical insights into the design and application of SynComs in agriculture. By highlighting successful case studies and identifying challenges, this research hopes to contribute to the development of sustainable agricultural practices that can withstand the impacts of climate change.
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