Amazing stuff! This could have huge implications!
"... agro-microbials—or agro-chemicals of natural origin—that can enhance the synergy between crops and microbes, and ultimately improve crop yield and productivity.
In a five-year study that began in 2018, the scientists discovered that a well-known protective hormone typically released by plants above ground during periods of stress—a volatile organic compound (VOC) known as methyl jasmonate (MeJA)—possessed a hitherto unknown function. They found that MeJa served as a shared, possibly secret, language that allows a plant to communicate with the surrounding layers of microorganisms embedded in the soil.
The research team has made three important discoveries:
- Using a specially engineered airflow system, scientists have found, for the first time, that MeJA is released underground by the plant roots in a volatile form;
- The presence of volatile MeJA triggers and enhances the formation of biofilms in bacteria situated at a distance from the plant roots; and
- These bacteria in the biofilm release a different set of volatile compounds that can boost plant growth by up to 30%. ...
As the world population is projected to reach 10 billion by 2050 [I have my doubts about this projection], ensuring food security for its inhabitants has become one of the most pressing challenges of this century. Singapore, for example, has set a "30 x 30" goal—to be able to produce 30% of our nutritional needs by 2030. ..."
From the abstract:
"The rhizosphere is a niche surrounding plant roots, where soluble and volatile molecules mediate signaling between plants and the associated microbiota. The preferred lifestyle of soil microorganisms is in the form of biofilms. However, less is known about whether root volatile organic compounds (rVOCs) can influence soil biofilms beyond the 2–10 mm rhizosphere zone influenced by root exudates. We report that rVOCs shift the microbiome composition and growth dynamics of complex soil biofilms. This signaling is evolutionarily conserved from ferns to higher plants. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is a bioactive signal of rVOCs that rapidly triggers both biofilm and microbiome changes. In contrast to the planktonic community, the resulting biofilm community provides ecological benefits to the host from a distance via growth enhancement. Thus, a volatile host defense signal, MeJA, is co-opted for assembling host-beneficial biofilms in the soil microbiota and extending the sphere of host influence in the rhizosphere."
NUS-SCELSE scientists uncover plant hormone that can boost plant growth by 30% This exciting discovery holds great promise for sustainable food security across diverse soils and crops
Fig. 1: Plant root VOCs promote biofilm formation in the soil microbial community.
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