Leaf microbes from healthy plants may protect vulnerable ones from disease
Kaur L, Bell TH, Sadeghi J, Hockett KL
Soil Health
The invisible film of bacteria and fungi coating your tomato leaves may be as important as any spray you apply, and scientists are now learning how to transplant that protective community from healthy plants to vulnerable ones.
Plants are covered in tiny microbes that help keep them healthy, much like the good bacteria in our gut. Scientists are exploring whether you can take these protective microbial communities from disease-resistant plants and transfer them to susceptible ones, essentially giving plants a health boost from the outside in. There are still hurdles to clear before this works reliably, but it could eventually replace or reduce chemical sprays used to fight plant diseases.
Key Findings
Phyllosphere (leaf-surface) microbiome transplantation is proposed as a disease-management strategy analogous to fecal microbiome transplants used in human medicine for conditions like C. difficile infection.
Iterative passaging, repeatedly transferring microbiomes through multiple cycles in controlled environments, may gradually enrich beneficial microbial traits before field application.
Key barriers to implementation include lack of standardized protocols, risk of transferring pathogens alongside beneficial microbes, and unresolved regulatory frameworks.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers propose transplanting the microbial communities living on plant leaves to protect crops from disease, drawing lessons from medical microbiome therapies. The approach is still early-stage but could reduce reliance on synthetic fungicides and bactericides.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Disease-Suppressive Phyllosphere Microbiomes: A Perspective on Microbiome Transplantation for Sustainable Agriculture.
The plant-associated microbiome is a key contributor to plant health, influencing nutrition, stress tolerance, and disease outcomes. Manipulating these microbiomes is a potentially powerful tool fo...
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