Microbial solutions for enhanced plant stress resilience through suberin induction

Overview

This research program develops a high-throughput screening approach to identify soil-borne microbes capable of inducing suberin deposition in plant roots. Suberin is a natural protective polymer that plants deposit in specific root cell layers (the endodermis and exodermis) as a defense against abiotic stresses such as drought and waterlogging, as well as biotic stresses from pathogens. By harnessing microbes to trigger this natural protective response, the technology offers a sustainable alternative to genetic engineering for improving crop resilience. The approach is especially valuable for crops like sorghum, where transformation methods and cell type-specific promoters are not well established, making traditional genetic manipulation impractical.

Technical specifications

Key features and approaches:

• Computational pipeline for strain prioritization, based on microbial origin, taxonomy, genetics, and plant host range
• High-throughput phenotyping platform for measuring suberin deposition in roots
• Testing across multiple sorghum genotypes with distinct innate suberization patterns
• Evaluation of multiple root types (seminal, crown) and developmental zones
• Screening under both non-stress and stress conditions to define robust screening protocols
• Access to and screening of a partner's proprietary microbial collection for diverse taxonomic and genetic features

Scientific basis:

• Suberin accumulation in all cells and organs through genetic manipulation is detrimental to plant growth
• Microbial induction of localized suberization avoids this pitfall by targeting only specific root cell types
• Preliminary evidence shows soil-borne microbes can induce endodermal suberin deposition in sorghum
• Microbial strains identified from field-collected soil in the Netherlands correlate with endodermal suberin content

Technology readiness level

This research is at an early-to-mid stage of development. Preliminary data has been collected demonstrating that soil-borne microbes induce suberin deposition in the sorghum endodermis, and microbial strains have been identified whose abundance in the root rhizosphere and endosphere correlates with endodermal suberin content. These strains are scheduled for testing of their suberin-inducing potential. The next phase involves developing the computational prioritization pipeline and high-throughput phenotyping platform, followed by systematic screening of a partner's proprietary microbial collection. The ultimate goal is to develop sustainable, microbe-based tools for crop protection applicable to a broad range of stresses.