Plant Microbiome Engineering for a More Sustainable Agriculture
Through tweaking plant-associated microbiomes it might be possible to address agricultural challenges
The plant microbiome
Each one of us houses numerous species of microbes. Most attention has gone to the microbes that dwell in our gut — the gut microbiome. Their metaphorical pseudopods extend far and wide, affecting, for example, your risk for cancer, Alzheimer’s, and even potentially shaping your personality.
But, microbiomes are not just a human thing. Or even an animal thing. Plants have microbiomes too.
Many microbes live on or in plants and their roots. These localized, tissue-specific microbiomes together with the host plant are collectively known as the phytobiome.
Many of the microbes in the phytobiome express plant-growth promoting (PGP) traits, or microbial activities that — what’s in a name? — promote plant growth. A well-known one is nitrogen fixation, but there are many others.
