Editorial on the Research TopicRhizosphere interactions: root exudates and the rhizosphere microbiomeThe rhizosphere, a term introduced by Lorenz Hiltner in 1904, is defined as a thin layer of soil that surrounds and is influenced by plant roots (Philippot et al., 2013). It can be divided into several distinct zones, including the endorhizosphere, the rhizoplane, and the ectorhizosphere (Morgan et al., 2005). The rhizosphere is one of the key interfaces between plants and their environment, with intensive root-induced physical, chemical, and biological processes . It is also considered a hotspot for plantmicrobe interactions because plant roots release enormous amounts of photosynthetically fixed carbon into the surrounding soil. Root exudation typically creates a nutrient-rich rhizosphere microenvironment in which microbial activity is stimulated. Root exudates consist of a wide variety of primary and secondary compounds, including carbohydrates, amino acids, and organic acids, phenolics, flavonoids, auxins (Zhu et al., 2016). They provide a readily bioavailable supply of nutrients and energy for microbial growth and also act as a signaling messenger to shape the rhizosphere microbiome (Luo et al., 2020;Koprivova and Kopriva, 2022). The rhizosphere microbiome, referred to as the plant's second genome, plays a crucial role in plant growth and health (Berendsen et al., 2012). The rhizosphere is colonized by a huge number of microorganisms and invertebrates, which exert either positive, negative, or neutral effects on plant growth and fitness. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in exploring plant-microbe rhizosphere interactions, termed rhizosphere cross-talk, in natural and agricultural ecosystems.The number of records retrieved through Web of Science with keywords 'rhizosphere interactions' or 'plant-microbe interactions' or 'rhizosphere crosstalk' or 'plant-soil feedbacks' or 'rhizosphere microbiome' increased from 406 (1948406 ( -2000406 ( ) to 1924406 ( (2001406 ( -2010406 ( ) and then to 11,451 (2011406 ( -2023406 ( ) (data retrieved August 12, 2023. As a response to the importance of plant-microbiome rhizosphere interactions, we proposed the Research Topic "Rhizosphere Interactions: Root Exudates and Rhizosphere Microbiome".