15-06: Underground communication between roots and the soil microbiome to improve sustainability of bioenergy crops

The underground world is a lively place with plant roots and soil microbes waging a continual battle for resources. Plant roots take an active role in this conflict through the exudation of various chemicals, yet key areas of this process remain mysterious: what genes and gene networks control exudation? How do plant root exudates influence the microbial community of the soil? Finally, if plant roots do play a large role in soil microbial composition, what effect does this have in making plants more sustainable = self reliable?

Our studies in this area have proceeded on three fronts. On the first front, we’ve looked at how a specific set of genes, the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter genes, influences root exudation. On another front, we’ve examined how plant root exudates influence the soil microbial community. Current studies involve the analysis of how specific Arabidopsis ABC transporter mutants differently influence native soil microbes depending on their root exudate profile. Finally, a model will be presented that will synthesize knowledge about the active communication between roots and soil microbes and how this exchange of information affects soil microbial diversity, plant fitness and biomass production.