How do you cultivate a healthy plant microbiome?

(University of California - Berkeley) Crops today never see their parents' microbiome, so how do they develop a leaf microbial community that's healthy and resistant to invasion by pathogens? UC Berkeley biologists sequenced the microbiomes of tomatoes through four generations and saw three-quarters of the bacteria disappear, leaving a core community that proved resistant to random invaders. The findings show it's possible to cultivate a robust plant microbiome, and suggests that probiotic additions could survive on crops, providing lasting benefits.

Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - December 6, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: news