A greater emphasis on the role of microbiology in agriculture combined with new technologies can help stop potential food shortages associated with the increase of the world population according to a new report from the American Academy of Microbiology.
Microbes are essential partners in all aspects of plant physiology, but the man's efforts to improve plant productivity focused only on plants, "says Ian Sanders of the University of Lausanne, President the conference that produced the report. " Optimize the microbial communities living in, on and around the plants, can significantly reduce the need for chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. "
The report, " How Microbes can Help Feed the World "is based on the deliberations of a group of scientists who met for two days in Washington in December 2012 to review a series of questions about how interactions plants microorganisms could be used to increase agricultural productivity in an environmentally and economically responsible.
It begins with a startling statistic: In order to feed the estimated 9 billion by 2050 world population, agricultural yields will increase by 70-100%.
A better understanding of the interactions plant-microorganisms has the potential to increase crop productivity by 20% while reducing the need for fertilizers and pesticides by 20% within 20 years, according to the report. These estimates are based on the recognition that all plants rely on microbial partners to secure nutrients, pathogens and discourage resistance to environmental stress.
" New technologies make ecosystems plants microorganisms easier to study and investment in this area of research could have important benefits , "said Marilynn Roossinck, Pennsylvania State University, who helped organize the conference.
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