HAVING CO-EVOLVED WITH A PLETHORA OF MICROORGANISMS, PLANTS BENEFIT FROM MUTUALISTIC INTERACTIONS, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY FACING CHALLENGES FROM PATHOGENS. NEW METHODOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, GENETICS, CELL BIOLOGY, SYSTEMS BIOLOGY, AND HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTATIONAL METHODS HAVE EMPOWERED THE DISCOVERY AND DISSECTION OF THE COMPLEX NETWORKS UNDERLYING PLANT MICROBIOMES, ADVANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CROSS-KINGDOM INTERACTIONS AND ESTABLISHING A BASIS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF AGROECOSYSTEMS AND NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS IN THE FUTURE. HARNESSING THE PLANT MICROBIOME TOWARDS THESE GOALS HOLDS GREAT PROMISE TO EXPEDITE SOLUTIONS TO THE GRAND CHALLENGES FACING HUMANKIND, SUCH AS FOOD SECURITY, FOOD SAFETY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY. IN THIS CONFERENCE, WE AIM TO FOSTER INTERDISCIPLINARY DISCUSSIONS AND COLLABORATIONS ON THE CURRENT AND EMERGING THEMES IN THIS EXCITING RESEARCH AREA. WE SEEK SUPPORT FOR THE UC DAVIS-NATURE CONFERENCE ON HARNESSING THE PLANT MICROBIOME IN THE FALL OF 2021 (HTTPS://CONFERENCES.NATURE.COM/EVENT/5F53E7F8-A89A-4A43-BB97-D6092145B0FA/SUMMARY).