Soil microbes remember drought and help plants survive

 





"The bacteria and fungi and other organisms living in the soil can actually end up having important effects on things that matter, like carbon sequestration, nutrient movement and what we're particularly interested in -- the legacy effects on plants," said co-author Maggie Wagner, associate professor of ecology & evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas.

"We got interested in this because other researchers, for years, have been describing this type of ecological memory of soil microbes having some way to remember from their ancestors' past," she said. "We thought this was really fascinating. It has a lot of important implications for how we can grow plants, including things like corn and wheat. Precipitation itself has a big influence on how plants grow, but also the memory of the microbes living in those soils could also play a role."

According to Wagner legacy effects have been observed before, yet the details remain unclear. A clearer picture could eventually assist farmers and agricultural biotechnology companies that aim to leverage beneficial microbes.

"We don't really understand how legacy effects work," she said. "Like, which microbes are involved at the genetic level, and how does that work? Which bacterial genes are being influenced? We also don't understand how that legacy of climate moves through the soil to the microbes, and then eventually to the plant."

The team sampled soils from six Kansas locations, spanning the wetter eastern region to the higher, drier High Plains in the west, which receive less rain because of the Rocky Mountains' rain shadow. The goal was to compare how legacy effects varied along this climate gradient.

"This was a collaboration with a team at the University of Nottingham in England," Wagner said. "We divided up the work, but the bulk of the experiment -- actually, the entire experiment -- was conducted here at KU, and we also focused on soils from Kansas for this work."

At KU, Wagner and colleagues evaluated how the microbial communities from these soils influenced plants.

"We used a kind of old-school technique, treating the microbes as a black box," she said. "We grew the plant in different microbial communities with different drought memories and then measured plants' performance to understand what was beneficial and what was not."

The researchers exposed the microbial communities to either ample water or very limited water for five months to reinforce contrasting histories of moisture availability.

#SoilMicrobes
#DroughtResistance
#PlantSurvival
#MicrobialMemory
#SoilHealth
#ClimateResilience
#PlantMicrobiome
#SustainableAgriculture
#EcoRestoration
#MicrobialEcology

World Cell Biologist Awards: 

Website Link : cellbiologist.org 

Follow Us On : 
Tumblr ; tumblr.ccom/


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Uttrakhand Forest Department Establishes Mahabharata Vatika

Image
  The Uttarakhand Forest Department has established two gardens in Haldwani, showcasing plant species referenced in ancient Indian epics. These gardens, named Ramayana Vatika and Mahabharata Vatika, aim to highlight the ecological wisdom embedded in these texts. Mahabharata Vatika Overview Mahabharata Vatika spans one acre and features 37 plant species mentioned in the epic. Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjeev Chaturvedi emphasised the research behind selecting these species. The garden features important plant species such as: Ecological Significance The garden puts stress on the importance of forests as depicted in the Mahabharata. It references the Vana Parva, which discusses tree planting and wildlife conservation . The epic highlights the mutual dependence of tigers and forests, a concept vital to contemporary conservation efforts. Cultural Connections Chaturvedi brought into light that the Mahabharata teaches the spiritual significance of planting trees. He mentioned Bhish...
Read more

What is Zolgensma?

Image
  Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic disease affecting muscle function. In India, treatment options are limited, mainly due to high costs. The gene therapy drug, Zolgensma , costs around 16 crore rupees. Despite this, some families are finding ways to access treatment. About Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) SMA is a genetic disorder that leads to the loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord. This results in muscle weakness and atrophy. Symptoms often appear in infancy. Children may struggle with basic movements like lifting their heads or crawling. Early diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment. About Zolgensma Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec-xioi) is a revolutionary gene therapy for SMA. It addresses the root cause by replacing the missing or defective SMN1 gene . This therapy can improve motor function in affected children. Although it is costly, it represents hope for many families. SMA is not as rare as once thought. The global prevalence is estimated at 1 in ...
Read more

CAR T-Cell Therapy for Cancer

Image
  India has recently made strides in cancer treatment with the introduction of CAR T-cell therapy . The results from the first clinical trials have been published in The Lancet, showcasing a remarkable success rate. This therapy is a game changer for patients with blood cancers. It offers hope to those who have exhausted other treatment options. What is CAR T-Cell Therapy? CAR T-cell therapy, or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, is an innovative treatment that harnesses the body’s immune system. It trains T-cells to target and destroy cancer cells. This therapy is specifically designed for certain blood cancers. It is particularly beneficial for patients whose cancer has relapsed or failed to respond to standard treatments. Clinical Trial The clinical trials reported a response rate of nearly 73%. This indicates that number of patients benefited from the treatment. The trials also provided critical data on survival rates for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and l...
Read more