BeCrop Advisor Program

Module 5: Plant-Microbe
Interactions
Script: Hi, my name is Gus and I'm a technical agronomist with Biome Makers. I will be covering the
interactions between plants and microbes and discussing how their coexistence and interrelationship
supports and drives plant growth. Modern agronomy has largely regarded soil microbes solely as
problematic issues in the form of fungal and bacterial pathogens. One of the major reasons for this is
that when microbial pathogens spread excessively and reduce yields, it is very obvious to the naked
eye. However, the beneficial roles that microbes perform are less apparent because they're simply part
of the plant’s natural healthy lifecycle supporting yield and productivity.

From microbes that live widely throughout the air and soil to endophytes, which are microorganisms
that live within plant tissues, microbes play a significant range of pivotal symbiotic roles in the life
cycles of plants. As a seed germinates and begins to grow, establish roots, and uptake nutrients, it
builds a network of closely associated bacteria and fungi within the proximity of its root system. The
thin layer of soil that surrounds the plant root system is termed the rhizosphere, and this is where the
plant is actually a major driver in selecting for microbes that can serve symbiotic functions to support its
growth. Plants do this by releasing root exudates, carbon-rich metabolites and compounds which
microbes use as fuel and receive as communication signals. Through these microbial food and
metabolic signals, plants reward and select for the microbes that can supply in exchange what the
plant needs, such as nutrients or metabolites that can help the plant deal with environmental stressors.

A healthy soil rhizosphere consists not only of the common beneficial microbes we talk about a lot in
agriculture, like nitrogen fixers like legumes, but an intricate network of ecological roles that in many
ways resemble a food chain. Microbes are constantly absorbing, metabolizing, transforming, and
releasing various nutrients in the soil profile. Some microbes leverage other microbes to obtain
nutrients and operate a multi-way symbiotic relationship. For example, mycorrhizal fungi can allocate
nutrients from bacteria to plant roots. They, along with many other fungi and bacteria, can also fend off
pathogens and nematodes. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, also commonly referred to as
endomycorrhizal fungi, colonize the internal structures of plant roots and their biomass can extend
outside the plant root, aiding the plant in reaching necessary nutrients it otherwise might not have
access to. These fungi predominantly form mutualistic associations with annual herbaceous crops like
corn and soybeans. Meanwhile, ectomycorrhizal fungi colonize the outside of the plant root. They tend
to form symbiotic relationships more so with woody perennial crops like trees and shrubs. Both types of
mycorrhiza play important roles in aiding plant growth and enhancing the ability of crops to tolerate
drought, accumulate nutrients, and withstand pests and pathogens.

Bacteria and fungi can also support plant growth by releasing organic acids in the soil. These organic
acids help unlock phosphorus, potassium, and other nutrients that are locked up in the soil by
essentially dissolving them out of tight mineral bonds with other compounds, rendering the nutrients
available for plant uptake. The BeCrop report includes metrics that assess the phosphorus and
potassium solubilizing potential of the soil microbiome to help determine if soil samples contain
sufficient levels of these important macronutrient unlocking microbes. If P and K pathway metrics are
low on a BeCrop report, then an inoculant that supplies P and K solubilizing microbes may help address
the issue.
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Aside from providing plants with nutrients by unlocking or fixing them, soil microbes can produce other
metabolites that aid in plant growth as well. These include plant growth regulator (PGR) hormones like
auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin. Many of these metabolites are naturally produced by plants themselves
and they serve vital roles in regulating plant cell division, growth, and senescence. PGRs are part of a
larger group of metabolites referred to as phytohormones, which are responsible for driving a wide
range of plant growth and plant stress tolerance related functions. Symbiotic microbes can provide
plants with a boost of these metabolites when the plants need them. PGRs or synthetic alternatives to
these hormones are shown to increase growth in crops when applied as foliar products. When
produced by microbes in the rhizosphere these PGRs can also promote root growth.

Hormones like salicylic acid, abscisic acid, and ACC-deaminase serve as stress response hormones.
Similar to how our immune systems kick in when we get a virus or are stressed, these hormones kick in
and help plants manage stress from pathogens, drought, heat, salinity, and other environmental factors
to become more resilient to yield-limiting factors outside our control. Other non-PGR metabolites like
siderophores and exopolysaccharides can also enhance plant growth and vigor by making nutrients
more bioavailable for plant uptake and improving soil porosity. The BeCrop report includes metrics
assessing the levels of microbes that produce all the metabolites and PGRs mentioned in this module,
as well as soil microbes that promote salt tolerance of crops and improve resistance to heavy metal
phytotoxicity. There are microbes that can prevent excess salt and heavy metals from being assimilated
by the plant as well as microbes that can aid in tolerance of present quantities. All this information is
included in the section of the BeCrop Report titled “Stress Adaptation”, which provides insights on how
effectively soil biology can mitigate the effects of various stressors.

Congrats on reaching the end of the module and good luck on the questions!

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