Abstract: Drought represents a paramount abiotic stressor constraining global agroforestry productivity. Plants have evolved multifaceted adaptive strategies involving active modulation of symbiotic microbial communities to mitigate drought stress. These plant-associated microbes enhance plant drought adaptation via five principal mechanisms: 1) EPS-mediated biofilm formation on plant surface enhances hydroregulation and edaphic structural stability; 2) Osmoprotectant biosynthesis (e.g., proline) maintains cellular osmotic equilibrium; 3) Synthesizing antioxidants to reduce damage from reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress; 4) Regulating plant phytohormone metabolism by secreting hormones (e.g., IAA) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic deaminase (ACCD); 5) Emitting signaling molecules (e.g., volatile organic compounds, hormones, and enzymes) to activate plant drought adaptation. Future researches should focus on the development of host-specific drought-adaptive microbial consortia while elucidating phyllosphere-rhizosphere microbiome crosstalk , ultimately harnessing translational microbiome engineering to evaluate their efficacy in multi-environment agricultural systems.

Key words: exopolysaccharides, volatile organic compounds, 1-aminocyclopropane-1 carboxylic acid, synthetic microbial communities, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria