A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON SOIL–PLANT INTERACTIONS AND FOLIAR BIOCHEMICAL PROFILES

Abstract

Soil–plant interactions represent one of the most intricate and fundamental ecological processes governing terrestrial ecosystem productivity, environmental sustainability, and global food security. The dynamic relationship between soil properties and plant physiological responses is increasingly influenced by anthropogenic activities, including industrialization, urbanization, intensive agriculture, and climate change. These factors alter soil physicochemical and biological characteristics, leading to significant modifications in plant growth, nutrient uptake, metabolic activities, and biochemical responses. Foliar biochemical profiles, comprising photosynthetic pigments, osmolytes, antioxidant enzymes, proteins, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and other secondary metabolites, have emerged as highly sensitive indicators of environmental stress and ecosystem health. Changes in these biochemical markers provide valuable insights into plant adaptation mechanisms under various abiotic and biotic stresses, including salinity, drought, heavy metal contamination, nutrient deficiencies, elevated temperatures, and pathogenic infections. Recent advances in environmental monitoring technologies, including remote sensing, hyperspectral imaging, metabolomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, geospatial technologies, and machine learning algorithms, have revolutionized the study of soil–plant systems by enabling high-resolution and multidimensional analyses of plant responses and soil conditions. Integrative approaches combining soil analyses, rhizosphere studies, and foliar biochemical assessments have significantly improved the understanding of nutrient cycling, microbial interactions, stress physiology, and ecosystem resilience. Nevertheless, considerable challenges remain, including methodological inconsistencies, limited long-term monitoring datasets, inadequate integration of multidisciplinary approaches, and insufficient understanding of soil microbiome-mediated biochemical responses. This review critically synthesizes current knowledge on soil–plant interactions and foliar biochemical profiles by examining historical developments, theoretical frameworks, environmental drivers, methodological approaches, and recent scientific advancements. The review further identifies major research gaps and proposes future directions emphasizing integrated monitoring systems that combine molecular, biochemical, ecological, and computational approaches. Such comprehensive frameworks are essential for developing sustainable agricultural practices, enhancing ecosystem resilience, and mitigating the impacts of global environmental change.