Microbiome-Driven Agriculture: From Synthetic Communities to Predictive Soil Indicators

Summary

This presentation highlights two approaches for microbiome-based innovation in sustainable agriculture. First, synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) were used to study how plant genetic factors shape leaf-associated microbiota in Arabidopsis thaliana. Cuticle mutants had the strongest effect on community structure and abundance.
Second, large-scale on-farm trials with the AMF Rhizoglomus irregulare showed that only 25% of fields had a positive mycorrhizal growth response (MGR). Soil fungal community composition was a better predictor of inoculation success than soil chemistry. Several fungal taxa, including potential pathogens, were associated with plant response.
These results support the development of microbiome-based diagnostics to guide bioinoculant application and improve context-specific outcomes in organic farming.