The Importance of Microbial Communities in Agriculture
The elements of crop production can be dissected into three distinct yet overlapping sectors: (i) Chemical (crop protection and nutrition), (ii) Physical (mechanical activity), and (iii) Biological (seed and plant physiology; microbiology).
Holistically addressing these components is crucial to ensure plant vigor and to maximize economic yield. However, production practices are often negligent and detrimental to one biological element – the plant/soil microbiome.
Microbes (e.g., bacteria and fungi) are ubiquitous in nature – there are more microorganisms in one gram of soil than there are humans on Earth [1]. Many of these soil-colonizing microbes have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with their host plant, meaning both organisms benefit from the interaction.
In the context of agriculture, an abundant, diverse microbiome has been demonstrated to affect crop health in the following ways:
- Enhanced nutrient mineralization and uptake
- Resilience against biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) stress
- Boosted plant immunity
- Production of hormones and other signaling molecules (by both the plant and microbe)
- More robust germination
- Stimulated plant growth
- Improved soil health
AgriGro® is a prebiotic technology leader for agricultural use, providing a line of products that boost the soil’s native biological activity up to 5,000% within 72 hours of application. As a result, plants treated with FoliarBlend®, IgniteS2®, and other prebiotic formulations reap the benefits of a healthy microbiome. They can allocate more energy to primary metabolic processes (e.g., photosynthesis and reproduction). This phenomenon is studied extensively from the molecular level to field-scale and consistently demonstrates healthier soils, higher-yielding crops, and enhanced plant-microbe symbiosis following treatment with AgriGro® technology. Research on specific crops or products can be found here.
According to a recent publication from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, many within the scientific community believe that the next Agricultural Revolution will entail microbiomes’ usage to improve plant growth and development [2]. At AgriGro®, we help initiate that revolution by employing cutting-edge scientific tools to boost crop yield in an all-natural, sustainable manner. Environmental stewardship in this fashion benefits not only the present-day grower but protects the livelihood of future generations.
To learn more about AgriGro®, click here.
