GROWING A REVOLUTION WITH THE HIDDEN HALF OF NATURE (Invited Presentation)

Recent advances in soil science point to the importance of microbial ecology for soil fertility and plant health, particularly in the environment around the root zone of plants (the rhizosphere). Likewise, advances in understanding the human microbiome reveal striking parallels in the roles that microbes play in human health and well-being. Indeed, studies demonstrate that microbial communities in the human gut and rhizosphere modulate nutrient provisioning and acquisition, chemical signaling, and host defense. This renewed awareness of the importance of microbial ecology for the health of plants and people has direct applications in both agriculture and medicine. In agriculture, certain practices nourish and support microbial communities, including returning organic matter to the soil, minimizing soil disturbance, planting cover crops, and diversifying crop rotation. On-farm experience shows that practices that build soil organic matter and cultivate beneficial soil life can build soil fertility and reduce the need for expensive inputs, and substantial research is now directed toward developing microbial inoculants to introduce specific microorganisms to the rhizosphere. For the past century mainstream agriculture has focused on killing microbes, and treating the symptoms of declining soil fertility. Today, greater understanding of the relationships between soil organisms and plants is leading to greater exploration of microbial life and soil biology as a key factor in restoring soil fertility. And likewise in medicine, we are beginning to see the human body as an ecosystem in need of restoration and protection. Adopting a philosophy of cultivating beneficial microbial life in the soil and on and in our own bodies has the potential to transform agriculture and medicine in ways that are only now starting to become apparent.