Beneficial Roles of Microorganisms in Woody Plant Micropropagation

Abstract

Plants coexist with microorganisms throughout all stages of their life, and micropropagated plants are no exception. Currently, micropropagation laboratories are increasingly seeking to understand and harness the benefits of plant–microbe interactions, which range from mutualism to antagonism, to improve culture performance. In this chapter, we will first take a brief look at the types of microorganisms that live inside plants and how they interact with them in vivo and then discuss some examples of their beneficial use during different stages of in vitro cultivation of woody plants. We can conclude that including microorganisms in micropropagation can improve plant growth, root quality, and successful acclimatization, along with other important characteristics, such as preparing trees to withstand ex vitro challenges like abiotic stress or tolerance to pathogens under field conditions. The application of biotechnology to plant–microorganism interactions has other ecological and economic advantages, such as improving crop sustainability, the bioremediation capacity of plants, along with others such as increasing truffle production and producing bioactive substances of interest to other fields. Although its application is not without challenges and risks, there are still opportunities and benefits to explore and exploit.