Plant microbiomes

Publications

Funding

Our central goal is to harness plant microbiomes to promote agricultural resiliency to stress. We are working to understand how crop plants assemble their microbiomes in order to promote healthy microbial communities that protect from biotic and abiotic stress.

Rating IDC in soybean trials

Research Initiatives

Barley phyllosphere microbiome assembly in the context of Fusarium headblight disease

Building on observations that FHB significantly alters microbiome composition, we are using synthetic communities to model transkingdom assembly, compare disease-recruited versus healthy-state microbes for disease mitigation, and examine how plant immunity and microbial recognition shape community assembly. The goal is to uncover mechanisms underlying barley–microbiome–pathogen interactions to inform novel disease management strategies.

The rules of assembly of the root nodule microbiome

This project explores the root nodule microbiome as a tool for sustainable agriculture by studying factors that shape its assembly using both top-down and bottom-up approaches. The goal is to enhance nitrogen fixation, improve plant resilience, and reduce reliance on agricultural chemicals.

Soybean rhizosphere microbiome assembly and plant benefit during iron deficiency chlorosis

In a project that spans from the lab to the field, we have been evaluating how soybeans restructure the microbiome in response to iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC). In parallel we have been exploring the potential for responsive taxa to contribute to IDC recovery when used as microbial inoculants.

Breeding and agronomic impact on the microbiome

We are studying how modern and traditional agricultural technologies including intercropping, rotational cropping and decades of breeding for aboveground traits impact crop microbiomes.