2024-02-13 13:23:04
For the first time, scientists modify plant microbiome to protect crops once morest disease
Southampton University*
Credit: Houxiang Kang
For the first time, scientists have altered the microbiome of plants, increasing the prevalence of “good” bacteria that protect plants once morest disease.
The findings published in Nature Communications by researchers from the University of Southampton, China and Austria might significantly reduce the need to use environmentally destructive pesticides.
The public is increasingly aware of the importance of our microbiome, that is to say the myriad of microorganisms that live in and around our bodies, and more particularly in our intestines. Our gut microbiomes influence our metabolism, our likelihood of getting sick, our immune system and even our mood.
Plants also harbor a wide variety of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms that live in their roots, stems and leaves. Over the past decade, scientists have conducted intensive research on plant microbiomes to understand how they affect a plant’s health and susceptibility to disease.
“For the first time, we were able to change the composition of a plant’s microbiome in a targeted way, increasing the number of beneficial bacteria that can protect the plant once morest other harmful bacteria,” explains Dr Tomislav Cernava, co-author of the article and associate professor in plant-microbe interactions at the University of Southampton.
“This advance might reduce reliance on pesticides, which are harmful to the environment. We achieved this in rice crops, but the framework we created might be applied to other plants and open up other possibilities for improving their microbiome. For example, microbes that increase the supply of nutrients to crops might reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers. »
The international research team discovered that a specific gene from the lignin biosynthesis cluster of the rice plant is involved in shaping its microbiome. Lignin is a complex polymer found in plant cell walls – the biomass of some plant species is more than 30% lignin.
The researchers first observed that deactivation of this gene led to a decrease in the population of certain beneficial bacteria, confirming its importance in the composition of the microbiological community.
The researchers then did the opposite, overexpressing the gene so that it produced more of a specific type of metabolite – a small molecule produced by the host plant during its metabolic processes. This helped increase the proportion of beneficial bacteria in the plant’s microbiome.
When these modified plants were exposed to Xanthomonas oryzae, a pathogen that causes bacterial wilt in rice crops, they were significantly more resistant than wild-type rice.
Bacterial wilt is common in Asia and can cause a substantial reduction in rice yields. The fight once morest this disease generally involves the deployment of polluting pesticides. Producing a crop with a protective microbiome might therefore help to strengthen food security and preserve the environment.
The research team is now investigating how it can influence the presence of other beneficial microbes to achieve various plant health benefits.
Microbiome homeostasis on rice leaves is regulated by a precursor molecule of lignin biosynthesis is published in Nature Communications and is available online.
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* Source : Scientists Engineer Plant Microbiome For The First Time To Protect Crops Against Disease | University of Southampton
My note: I’m always surprised to see statements like: “…microbes that increase the supply of nutrients to crops might reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers.” Unless they are nitrogen fixers, microbes only mobilize existing nutrients, which must be replenished based on export.
And “pesticides that are destructive to the environment”… communicators are not sober!
And, finally, this press release does not specify that we will undertake research to verify that this scientific breakthrough also represents an agronomic breakthrough in real conditions – that is to say if the transformed plants are sufficiently protected so that we can switch from antibiotics.
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