Market Information
Harnessing plant microbiomes
“If we can understand how to harness
microbes to do speci c things, we will have the
ability to carry out a lot of the same functions
that we currently depend on chemical pesticides
for sustainable agriculture
and fungicides to do” Smith added. Microbes
could help improve soil fertility and strengthen
plant resistance to insect pests and diseases and
help plants tolerate temperature uctuations.
Research shows that harnessing plant
alternatives. e plant microbiome could be
AgBiome is currently identifying microbes
microbiome – bacteria that live in roots, leaves
key to generating more food without the side
that can control weevils that attack sweet potato
and soil– can help in creating cleaner, pesticide
effects such as pollution, environmental
plants in sub-Saharan Africa. Supported by a
free agricultural practices
degradation and toxic residues from chemical
grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
In Africa, where soil health is a growing issue
pesticides, Fast CoExist reported.
AgBiome has already established a diverse
of concern in agriculture, researchers believe
“e microbiome has a lot of potential for
collection of plant-associated microbes and has
that microbial science could be vital in nding
agriculture because we know that microbes
fully sequenced and annotated the genomes for
alternatives to pesticides and arti cial fertilisers
have a lot of in uence on plants, how well they
greater than 26,000 microbial strains. e grant
that can improve farm productivity.
grow, how they resist pests and diseases, and
will support the isolation, sequencing, and
Plant microbiome —bacteria living in roots,
leaves and soil that help plants absorb minerals
how well seeds germinate,” said Kelly Smith,
testing of microbes associated with US and
director of microbial development at
African sweet potato plants in an effort to
and nutrients, ght disease, and resist drought
AgBiome, a startup in Durham, North
discover microbes that are capable of controlling
and heat – is being studied to nd such
Carolina.
the weevil.
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