In a recent study, scientists have discovered a way to increase drought tolerance in plants by manipulating the soil microbiome. This research could be a major step towards improving crop resilience in the face of climate change. The team of researchers, led by Professor Dario Cantu at the University of California, Berkeley, used a combination of microbial inoculation and genetic engineering to increase the drought tolerance of a model plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana. The scientists discovered that by introducing a specific combination of beneficial microbes into the soil, the Arabidopsis plants were able to survive better under drought conditions. In addition, the team used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to modify the plants’ own genomes, further improving their drought tolerance. This study opens the door to new possibilities for using the soil microbiome to increase crop resilience in a changing climate.

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source: Phys.org