Plant Microbiome Research: Current Knowledge and New Perspectives

Understanding the interactions between plants and the microorganisms surrounding them has become a central topic in plant science, microbiology, and agricultural science. The plant microbiome influences fundamental processes such as nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, and adaptation to environmental conditions. Recent developments are enabling researchers to move beyond simply cataloguing microbial communities and to understand the mechanisms, ecological principles, and functional implications of the interactions between plants and their microbiome.

Understanding the plant-associated microbiome and applying this knowledge to improve agricultural productivity were the main themes of two past international conferences held in Giza, Egypt, in 2018 and 2024, organized in collaboration between the IGZ and Cairo University. For nearly 20 years, there has been a close and successful collaboration between Cairo University and the IGZ in the field of plant microbiome research. Within the framework this partnership, researchers from Germany, Egypt, and Poland met on September 2, 2026, at the IGZ to summarize the most important advances and challenges across the various disciplines within this field, particularly with regard to in vitro/in situ microbiome research and its applications in agricultural practice to improve sustainable crop production systems.

The symposium was opened by its organizers, Prof. Nabil Hegazi, professor at Cairo University in Egypt, and Dr Katja Witzel (IGZ). The scientific director of the IGZ, Prof. Nicole van Dam, welcomed the participants. In addition to the academic exchange, planning began for the third international conference, which is scheduled to take place in November 2027 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt.