Figure 1.

Plant microbiota are a plant’s Swiss Army Knife. To access the benefits of the microbiota, plants need to have some control over their assembly, and hormones play a crucial role therein. The benefits can be divided into two branches: (i) enhanced ecological plasticity and fitness based on improved nutrient and water supply as well as protection against biotic and abiotic stress and (ii) optimised plant/root growth and development due to microbial support in plant regeneration, growth and the formation of lateral roots and root hairs.