Leveraging plant-bacteria interactions for sustainable production of perennial fruit crops

The use of chemical inputs in perennial fruit crop production, while effective in promoting high yields, often results in numerous adverse effects on both human and environmental health. Harnessing plant-bacteria interactions has emerged as a promising alternative approach to promoting ecological and sustainable agriculture (along with high yields), beneficial for human health and biodiversity. This review provides an integrated overview of the most recent research studies on the potential of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) inoculants to enhance the yield, productivity, health, and resilience of perennial fruit crops. Studies on the characterization of the diversity, structure, and composition of the bacterial microbiome have revealed that perennial fruit crops are associated with highly diverse bacterial communities, influenced by factors such as the host plant, soil properties, agricultural practices, and climatic and geographical conditions. Several studies revealed convincing results on the effectiveness of PGPB, applied either as a single inoculation or as a bacterial consortium, to promote the growth, yield, and tolerance to pests and abiotic stresses of perennial fruit crops. However, despite these significant advances, challenges remain regarding the scalability of these technologies, their effectiveness in real environmental conditions, and their practical application by farmers. This review proposes research avenues and strategies to maximize the effectiveness of PGPB inoculants and their adoption by farmers, with an emphasis on the need to integrate a farmer-participatory research approach. In addition, key marketing strategies that could be implemented by microbial inoculants manufacturing companies to stimulate market growth were also suggested. • Perennial fruit crops harbor a highly diverse bacterial microbiome • Pseudomonadota, Actinomycetota, Bacteroidota, and Bacillota were mainly reported • Host plant, soil, agricultural practices, climate, geography affect the bacteriome • PGPB improve growth, yield, biotic and abiotic tolerance in perennial fruit crops • Integrating farmer-participatory approach can enhance PGPB inoculants adoption