Harnessing plant-associated microorganisms to alleviate the detrimental effects of environmental abiotic stresses on medicinal plants

Medicinal plants frequently encounter environmental challenges such as drought, salinity, and heavy metal pollution, all of which are aggravated by the ongoing global climate change. Plants can alleviate the negative effects of these stresses by interacting with microorganisms both in the rhizosphere and within the plant itself. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the responses of microbial communities to these challenges and their impact on plant resistance and quality. In this study, microbial community structures and assembly changes are explored in response to abiotic stresses and the functional mechanisms underlying beneficial microorganism’s enhancement of plant tolerance are elucidated. These include activation of the antioxidant system activation, osmotic regulation, hormone synthesis, nutrient utilization, and recruitment of other beneficial microbes. Furthermore, these microorganisms significantly improve the quality of medicinal plants under abiotic stresses by enhancing the synthesis and accumulation of key secondary metabolites. While these findings provide functional insights into the beneficial effects of microorganisms on medicinal plants under stressful conditions, further research is necessary to be able to routinely apply microbial resources as a means to enhance plant adaptability and quality.