Research points to a potential new ally in the fight against plant pathogens that cost hundreds of billions of dollars per year in lost food production.
When we talk about the microbiome, most of us think of the trillions of microorganisms that live in our bodies, supporting everything from digestion to mental health.
But plants have a world of microbes living on and inside them too. And evidence is beginning to emerge that these hidden residents play a key role in promoting plant health, in part by helping their immune system identify which bacteria to attack and which ones to tolerate.
In a new study, researchers find that disruptions to the community of microbes that live inside the leaves of a spindly plant called Arabidopsis can compromise a plant’s ability to tell harmless invaders from harmful ones — effectively turning the plant’s defensive arsenal against itself.
The findings could eventually lead to new ways to help safeguard our food supply, said Sheng Yang He, professor of biology at Duke University and senior author of the study.
Indeed, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that crop pathogens cost the global economy some $220 billion each year.
The research was published on Sept. 6 in the journal Nature Plants.
Sept. 13, 2024