Western Sydney University researchers have discovered that drought affected wheat plants are able to call on eco-friendly soil bacteria to survive, helping keep crops healthy, boost yields, and provide pathways to develop extreme weather resistant crops.
The study, published today in the prestigious Cell Host & Microbe journal, revealed that when wheat faces drought, it produces natural compounds called 4-oxoproline around its roots, which sends out chemical signals to attract specialised friendly soil bacteria including Streptomyces and Leifsonia species.
The drought fighting soil microbes then produce beneficial compounds including osmolytes, plant hormones, and nutrient solubilisers that enhance the ability of the plant to resist drought and continue to grow.
When the research team reintroduced the helpful microbes to wheat plants in dry soils, the plants grew bigger, stayed healthier, and produced more grain, even in the next generation of crops.
Lead author Dr Jiayu Li, from Western Sydney University's Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, said that the findings of this study reveal how plants and microbes work as a team to survive stressful conditions such as drought, making sustainable and climate-smart farming a viable option.
"Our research will provide scientists and farmers a new platform to harness natural plant compounds and soil microbes as bio-based tools to protect crops from drought, mitigating the impact of drought on agricultural productivity," said Dr Li.
"It also provides new pathways for targeted plant breeding for climate change and extreme weather resistant crops, as these microbes even pass on 'drought memory,' helping the next crop cycle perform better in dry soils."
The plant friendly microbes, discovered by researchers from Western Sydney University's Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, act as "probiotics" for crops and provide a natural way to protect plants from drought.
Senior author, Distinguished Professor Brajesh Singh said the drought-fighting bacteria and their products will help farmers to protect their crops and survive drought, while boosting yields.
"The frequency and intensity of drought stress is escalating under climate change, which poses a significant threat to global primary productivity and sustainability," said Distinguished Professor Singh.
"The study shows that these plant-microbe partnerships can create lasting benefits for farming in dry environments, helping to tackle drought and the substantial lasting impacts on food security and environmental health."
Drought is one of the biggest challenges facing global agriculture, threatening food security worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 55 million people globally are affected by drought each year, with water scarcity impacting 40 per cent of the world's population.
Western Sydney University has been named number one in the world for its social, economic, and environmental impact in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings three years in a row.
