The transition from natural symbioses to synthetic biology-engineered microbiomes for precision and climate-smart agriculture: a PRISMA-based systematic review (2020–2026)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/asce.v5i4.1120Keywords:
Agricultural development, Biological evolution, Microbiology, Microorganisms, PlantsAbstract
Natural symbioses, between plants and microorganisms have historically contributed to plant nutrition, and crop resilience; however, their behavior often varies depending on environmental conditions. This situation has driven the development,t of new strategies based on microbiome engineering and synthetic biology. The objective was to, analyze the scientific and technological evolution from natural symbioses to engineered microbiomes—created using synthetic biology tools—and to evaluate their potential for the development of precision, and climate-smart agriculture. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, considering scientific articles published between 2020 and 2026; the process encompassed the stages of identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion. Rhizobium-legume interactions, arbuscular mycorrhizae, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, and endophytes constitute the primary biological models used; metagenomics, metabolic modeling, and synthetic biology stand out as the most widely employed technologies; engineered microbiomes offer applications in biofertilization, biocontrol, adaptation to climate stress, and precision agriculture, leading to improvements in nutrient efficiency and crop resilience, as well as a reduction in the use of chemical inputs. It is concluded that microbiome engineering represents one of the most promising biotechnological strategies for strengthening agricultural sustainability; the integration of microbial ecology, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence enables progress toward more efficient, and resilient production systems; however, challenges remain regarding the ecological stability of engineered microbiomes and their performance under real-world field conditions—aspects that still require further research.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Juan Carlos Yaselga Loyo, José Ernesto Bejar Centeno, Jaime Floresmilo Males Fuertes, David Esteban Puyol Guevara, Edwar Tucto Cueva
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