Domestication-Driven Changes in Plant Traits Are Associated With the Assemblage of the Rhizosphere Microbiome

Plant domestication involved prolonged artificial selection that progressively adapted plants to human agricultural practices. This process significantly modified both the genetic diversity and the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of the domesticated plants, resulting in traits that markedly differ from those of their wild ancestors. At the same time, rhizosphere microorganisms, the second largest gene pool of plants, were also inadvertently altered by domestication through changes in root secretions, nutrient uptake or plant defence responses. In this review, we discuss the effects of domestication on plant rhizosphere microbiota and how plants and microbes interact and co-evolve during domestication. The effects of these changes are poorly understood and the subject of active ongoing research. The expected knowledge will help to exploit specific microbial communities for the improvement of plant traits and develop microbial-based management strategies that can be used instead of chemicals to increase plant productivity, reduce environmental pollution and promote the sustainable development of agriculture as a part of the second Green Revolution.