Abstract

Microorganisms are ubiquitous and form imminent components of living systems on earth. Over four centuries scientific pursuit using novel biomolecular tools has helped in thorough understanding from individual microorganisms to complex microbiomes associated with living and non-living systems. Such understanding has enabled to exploit the microbial diversity for crop, human and animal welfare and microbes best fit the ‘One Health” concept. Microbial systems also play vital role in soil, water and air quality maintenance. Today, the microbiome research is helping to develop technologies to manipulate the microbiomes for ensured food and nutritional security. The microbiomes exhibit structural and functional diversity which is an interactive outcome of the microbes and the living and non-living systems they are associated with. Both structural and functional diversity of microbiomes influence extensively the crop growth and development. In this paper, the microbiomes & their constitution across agroecologies, structural and functional diversity among microbiomes and the impact of the combined diversity on crop growth and development are discussed.