microbial-priming
Microbial priming refers to the practice of pre-exposing plants to beneficial microorganisms—such as soil bacteria or fungi—to activate their immune defenses before pathogens or environmental stress occur. This early conditioning helps plants respond faster and more effectively when real threats arise, often by triggering systemic resistance pathways throughout the plant. Understanding microbial priming is valuable for developing sustainable strategies to boost crop resilience and reduce reliance on chemical pesticides.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-07-06
Researchers found that exposing tomato and agave plants to airborne chemicals produced by soil bacteria, even just once, improved their ability to tolerate drought and boosted tomato fruit yields by up to 2.65 times. The effects lasted for months without any repeat treatment, suggesting these bacterial signals could become a practical tool for sustainable agriculture.
A single exposure to bacterial volatiles increased tomato fruit yield by 0.10 to 2.65-fold under both well-watered and moderate drought conditions, with ethyl isovalerate showing the strongest effect
Ethyl isovalerate and camphene improved agave leaf and root development, relative water content, and chlorophyll and carbohydrate levels under moderate and severe water limitation
Effects from a single volatile exposure persisted for 4.5 months in tomato and 8 months in agave, with no repeat treatment required; nonanal produced net negative outcomes in agave
