Multifunctional composite microbial inoculants in sustainable agriculture: Design, carriers and field application

Abstract

Soil microbiomes play a pivotal role in supporting plant growth, enhancing nutrient cycling, and mitigating environmental stresses, thereby offering an ecologically sustainable solution for agricultural production. In recent years, multifunctional microbial inoculants—particularly composite formulations comprising multiple beneficial bacteria and fungi—have attracted broad attention for their ability to synergistically promote plant health, suppress pathogens, and remediate degraded soils. This review systematically examines the conceptual basis, formulation technologies, and application strategies of composite microbial inoculants, with special emphases on synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) design, biochar-based carriers, and microbial loading techniques. Furthermore, we highlight the central role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as a keystone functional group in enhancing nutrient uptake and stress tolerance. Distinct from existing reviews that primarily focus on microbial community assembly or individual functional traits, this review integrates AMF-centered SynCom design with an engineering-oriented perspective, emphasizing the full workflow from strain selection and community assembly to formulation, carrier optimization, and field application. In recognition of the major challenges in performance consistency, formulation stability, and strain compatibility of composite microbial inoculants under variable agroecological conditions, we propose a roadmap for intelligent formulation design, field-performance optimization, and regulatory standardization. Overall, multifunctional composite microbial inoculants hold transformative potential for green and climate-resilient agriculture, provided that interdisciplinary integration and systems engineering guide their future development.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

multifunctional composite microbial inoculants / synthetic microbial communities / plant growth promotion / abiotic and biotic stress / soil microbiome

Highlight

	● This review synthesizes current knowledge of composite microbial inoculants.
	● Overviews both top-down and bottom-up strategies for designing SynComs.
	● Emphasizes the importance of function carriers and loading technologies to improve delivery efficiency.
	● AM fungi could serve as keystone species to boost plant nutrition, stress tolerance, and soil health.
	● Proposes frameworks for predictive composite microbial inoculants design and field application.

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