OPINION
They found that young slender oat plants produced a cocktail of root exudates ( notably high in sugar ) that stimulated the development of a community of rhizosphere microbes that produced the kinds of chemicals that the young plant needed for fast growth .
Figure 3 : Avena barbata
At later developmental stages , the exudates were higher in organic acids and aromatic compounds , which changed the specific microbial community structure to favour the older plant , while also protecting it ( via allelopathy ).
This ability to cultivate different soil microbe communities at different times appears to be genetically programmed .
Do grasses in southern African grassland ( such as Themeda triandra ) also actively farm beneficial soil microbes . Nobody seems to have investigated this .
Figure 4 : Themeda triandra
29 Grassroots Vol 21 No 1 March 2021