Plants evolve with their microbes to protect themselves: an avenue to develop plant—microbial-based solutions for low-chemical agriculture

Plants evolve with their microbes to protect themselves: an avenue to develop plant—microbial-based solutions for low-chemical agriculture The evolutionary processes underlying interactions between hosts and their associated microbes remain a black box that biologists have long sought to illuminate. A major limitation has been the lack of knowledge about precise molecular events, which are now increasingly accessi-ble through next-generation sequencing technologies. The ERC Starting Grant HOLOE2Plant project leads the way in host-microbiome evolutionary studies, utilising fast-cycling B. rapa plants and synthetic microbial communities. By harnessing high-throughput sequencing, experimental coevolution and advanced modelling, it unravels plant-microbiome interactions under pathogen pressure across multiple plant generations. By validating the holobiont concept and identifying key genetic mechanisms, HOLOE2Plant sets the stage for designing microbial consortia for bio-control and biostimulation, advancing functional evolutionary science in service of agroecology.