Transgenic silver birch (Betula pendula) with altered isoprene emission capacities enhanced pathogen resistance in neighboring Arabidopsis thaliana through a jasmonate-independent, salicylate-depende...

Azolla spp. are floating ferns used for centuries as biofertilizers to enrich the soil with inorganic nitrogen and improve rice yields. However, the molecular interactions between Azolla and co-cultiv...

Plant-microbiome interactions are crucial in maintaining plant health and productivity under stress; however, little is known about these interactions under drought. Here, using wheat as a model, we combine genomics and culture-dependent methods to investigate the interactions between the soil, root, and rhizosphere microbiomes with rhizosphere metabolomes and plant phenotypes. We find that drought conditions promote microbial colonization in plant microbiomes, enriching Streptomyces coeruleorubidus and Leifsonia shinshuensis, while also increasing 4-oxoproline levels in the rhizosphere, potentially attracting S. coeruleorubidus. Consistently, genes facilitating microbial responses to drought, including the N-terminal acetyltransferase rimJ, are enriched, while S. coeruleorubidus and L. shinshuensis reintroduction promotes host drought resistance. Drought-legacy-effect experiments further support these benefits, with increased plant biomass and yield in the subsequent growth cycle under drought. Collectively, this study informs how drought-induced microbial and metabolite enrichments improve plant adaptation to abiotic stresses, potentially informing development of bio-based tools to mitigate drought effects.

Isoleucic acid, detected together with its deactivated glucosylated form in diverse plant species, plays a key role in activating defence responses and inhibiting root growth, although its biosynthet...