James F White - Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
This book ‘Microbiome Stimulants for Crops: Mechanisms and Applications’ has its genesis in studies of endophytic microbes of plants. Endophytes are non-pathogenic microbes that enter into plants without causing obvious symptoms (Schulz and Boyle, 2006; Khare, Mishra and Arora, 2018). The study of endophytes goes back to the turn of the 19th century (Vogl, 1898) when non-pathogenic fungi of ascomycete genus Epichloכ were discovered in asymptomatic grass seeds of ryegrass (Lolium temulentum). Since then many grasses have been found that contain these non-pathogenic fungi (White, 1987). These fungi grow in grasses asymptomatically, vectoring through seeds in the embryo, and thus perennate within the plant. Grasses with these endophytes were shown to grow better than grasses without them (Schardl et al., 2004). These non-pathogenic microbes were the first glimpse into what we now recognize are biostimulant microbes. These endophytes made host plants: 1) grow larger; 2) have reduced disease, 3) to be more resistant to abiotic stresses, etc., all benefits we recognize as associated with biostimulant microbes (Woo and Pepe, 2018). In time it became clearer that endophytic microbes consisted of many types of fungi and bacteria that enter plant tissues and form communities (Hardoim et al., 2015; Kumar et al., 2016; Kumar et al., 2020). These microbes of the plant microbiome were found to be functional in stimulating plant growth and functions (Bacon and White, 2016). All plants carry communities of microbes in all environments and those microbes are critical to plant development and adapting the plant to its environment (Rodriguez et al., 2008). For example, plant seeds carry microbes that colonize the seedling when the seed germinates (Verma and White, 2018). These microbes are essential for modulating root development, determining the gravitropic response in roots where they grow downward with gravity, stimulating growth of root hairs, providing soil nutrients and protecting seedlings from diseases (Verma et al., 2017). Without components of the microbiome, seedlings do not develop properly, and they are highly susceptible to diseases.
James F White - Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
This book ‘Microbiome Stimulants for Crops: Mechanisms and Applications’ has its genesis in studies of endophytic microbes of plants. Endophytes are non-pathogenic microbes that enter into plants without causing obvious symptoms (Schulz and Boyle, 2006; Khare, Mishra and Arora, 2018). The study of endophytes goes back to the turn of the 19th century (Vogl, 1898) when non-pathogenic fungi of ascomycete genus Epichloכ were discovered in asymptomatic grass seeds of ryegrass (Lolium temulentum). Since then many grasses have been found that contain these non-pathogenic fungi (White, 1987). These fungi grow in grasses asymptomatically, vectoring through seeds in the embryo, and thus perennate within the plant. Grasses with these endophytes were shown to grow better than grasses without them (Schardl et al., 2004). These non-pathogenic microbes were the first glimpse into what we now recognize are biostimulant microbes. These endophytes made host plants: 1) grow larger; 2) have reduced disease, 3) to be more resistant to abiotic stresses, etc., all benefits we recognize as associated with biostimulant microbes (Woo and Pepe, 2018). In time it became clearer that endophytic microbes consisted of many types of fungi and bacteria that enter plant tissues and form communities (Hardoim et al., 2015; Kumar et al., 2016; Kumar et al., 2020). These microbes of the plant microbiome were found to be functional in stimulating plant growth and functions (Bacon and White, 2016). All plants carry communities of microbes in all environments and those microbes are critical to plant development and adapting the plant to its environment (Rodriguez et al., 2008). For example, plant seeds carry microbes that colonize the seedling when the seed germinates (Verma and White, 2018). These microbes are essential for modulating root development, determining the gravitropic response in roots where they grow downward with gravity, stimulating growth of root hairs, providing soil nutrients and protecting seedlings from diseases (Verma et al., 2017). Without components of the microbiome, seedlings do not develop properly, and they are highly susceptible to diseases.