Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) symbiosis, which may be found in almost all naturalistic habitats, perform activities such as nutrition uptake, stress modulation, growth stimulation, soil structure, and fertility management. AMF easily takes up phosphorus (P) from the soil and transports it to the plants. AMF facilitates host plants to grow vigorously under nutrient-deficient conditions by mediating a series of complex communication events between the plant and AMF leading to enhanced uptake of soil nutrients and activation of transporter genes. The fundamental processes of P uptake and utilization, as well as P transport, regulators, root architecture, metabolic adaptations, quantitative trait loci, hormone signaling, and microRNA, have been studied based on molecular and genetic investigations. The current review provides a comprehensive overview of AMF and its effects on rice and other plants at various stages of development, as well as the benefits, applications of AMF, and its interactions between different plant nutrients. It is identified that the expression of certain phosphate transporter family genes and P concentration in plant biomass was significantly increased as a result of the symbiotic relationship between AMF and plants. So, AMF's role as a bio-fertilizer has the potential to enhance the plant’s ability to adapt to changing conditions. AMF-related products for agriculture, horticulture, and landscaping have gained in popularity as a result of AMF's vast potential applicability. We go through recent innovations, developments, and molecular breakthroughs in these areas, as well as the benefits and limitations of using AMF in the future for long-term crop productivity.

Plant-microbe interactions can be either beneficial or harmful depending on the nature of the interaction. Multifaceted benefits of plant-associated microbes in crops are well documented. Specifically, the management of plant diseases using beneficial microbes is considered to be eco-friendly and the best alternative for sustainable agriculture. Diseases caused by various phytopathogens are responsible for a significant reduction in crop yield and cause substantial economic losses globally. In an ecosystem, there is always an equally daunting challenge for the establishment of disease and development of resistance by pathogens and plants, respectively. In particular, comprehending the complete view of the complex biological systems of plant-pathogen interactions, co-evolution and plant growth promotions (PGP) at both genetic and molecular levels requires novel approaches to decipher the function of genes involved in their interaction. The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9) is a fast, emerging, precise, ecofriendly and efficient tool to address the challenges in agriculture and decipher plant-microbe interaction in crops. Nowadays, the CRISPR/Cas9 approach is receiving major attention in the field of functional genomics and crop improvement. Consequently, the present review updates the prevailing knowledge in the deployment of CRISPR/Cas9 techniques to understand plant-microbe interactions, genes edited for the development of fungal, bacterial and viral disease resistance, to elucidate the nodulation processes, plant growth promotion, and future implications in agriculture. Further, CRISPR/Cas9 would be a new tool for the management of plant diseases and increasing productivity for climate resilience farming.