Editorial: Microbial co-cultures: a new era of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering

This special issue explores the field of microbial engineering consortia and its potential applications in agriculture, industrial, and environmental restoration.Microbial consortia are communities of diverse groups of microorganisms that collaborate to achieve collective goals.By harnessing symbiotic interactions and synergistic behaviors, scientists aim to unlock various applications beyond what single organisms can accomplish.In the realm of agriculture, microbial consortia hold tremendous promise.They can enhance nutrient availability, suppress diseases, improve soil health, promote plant growth, manage abiotic stress, increase crop productivity, and support sustainable farming methods.However, further research is needed to optimize consortia composition, stability, and functionality for multiple crops' productivity, environmental sustainability, and costeffectiveness concerns.Microbial consortia also show immense potential for ecological restoration and revitalization.They can be utilized for bioremediation of contaminated sites, restoration of soil health, wastewater treatment, ecological restoration, climate change mitigation, and environmental health assessment.However, similar to agricultural applications, further research is necessary to optimize their application in specific contexts.This special issue features cutting-edge research articles and reviews that delve into various aspects of microbial engineering consortia.The articles cover topics such as industrial enzyme production, plant growth promotion under stress conditions, utilizing CO 2 as a feedstock for chemical manufacturing, understanding community dynamics and phenotypes, function-driven co-cultures for tobacco quality improvement, desiccationtolerant bacteria for crop resilience, artificial plant-bacteria systems, biocontrol of crop diseases, and the development of nano-pesticides.Additionally, the issue explores using bacterial biosensors for environmental pollution detection and creating synthetic consortia for the sustainable production of ethylene and isoprene.Overall, this special issue provides insights into the exciting and rapidly advancing field of microbial engineering consortia and highlights the potential applications, challenges, and prospects in agricultural fields.