Engineering Oilseed Microbiome Synergy for Saline Alkaline Soil Restoration

Soil salinization poses a critical threat to global agriculture, necessitating innovative strategies for sustainable remediation. This review synthesizes advances in leveraging plant–microbe interactions to remediate saline–alkali soils, focusing on oilseed crops—Brassica napus, Glycine max, Arachis hypogaea, Helianthus annuus, and Sesamum indicum—as keystone species for ecosystem restoration. These crops exhibit unique adaptive strategies, including root architectural plasticity and exudate-mediated recruitment of stress-resilient microbiomes (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Ascomycota), which collectively stabilize soil structure and enhance nutrient cycling, ion homeostasis, and soil aggregation to mitigate soil salinity and alkalinity. Emerging technologies further amplify these natural synergies: nanomaterials optimize nutrient delivery and microbial colonization, while artificial intelligence (AI) models predict optimal plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) combinations and simulate remediation outcomes. This integration establishes a roadmap for precision microbiome engineering, offering scalable strategies to restore soil health and ensure food security in saline–alkali ecosystems.