Enhancing phosphorus acquisition and utilization is another key area of research, given the limited global reserves of phosphate and its critical role in plant metabolism. Metabolic engineering efforts have focused on improving phosphate uptake through enhanced expression of phosphate transporters, increasing the production and exudation of organic acids and phosphatases to solubilize soil phosphate, and optimizing internal phosphate use efficiency through improved allocation and recycling . Some successful strategies have included the expression of bacterial phosphatases in plant roots and the engineering of plants to produce more organic acids in phosphate-deficient conditions.