Phyllosphere Microbes – New Avenues of Plant-Microbe Interaction Towards Plant Health and Crop Productivity: A Review

Abstract

The complete aerial plant surfaces (above-ground sections) were referred to as the phyllosphere, which served as a microorganism home. On the leaf surface, microorganisms form compositionally complex communities. Bacteria, fungus, Actinomycetes, Cyanobacteria, and viruses abound in the phyllosphere's microbiome. The physiochemistry, habitat, and immunity of the host plant all influence the variety, dispersal, and community growth on the leaf surface. A colonisation process is a significant occurrence that benefits both the microorganism and the host plant. On the phyllosphere, microbes often establish either an epiphytic or an endophytic life cycle, which aids the host plant's functional communication with the surrounding environment. These communities regulate plant fitness, mediate foliar functional features, and contribute to a variety of ecological activities, including nutrient and water cycling. Beneficial microbes, can be used in agriculture to improve plant growth, health, and production. Growth-promoting bacteria and biocontrol agents isolated from the phyllosphere of various plant species have thus far been underutilised compared to those isolated from the soil or rhizosphere. Successful examples include the treatment of plant diseases, pathogen reduction, and nitrogen fixation in natural and agricultural systems. Based on existing research, this review gives a fundamental overview of the microbiome in leaf structure and it's physiology, microbial interactions, particularly among bacteria, fungus, and actinomycetes, and their adaptability in the phyllosphere environment. The work is the compilation of the importance of microbiome in the phyllosphere to the host plant and its surroundings which has been collected in detail and put together here.