Phytobiomes and Plant Health: Science and Policy

The phytobiome system encompasses the entire community of living organisms surrounding and in plants, and includes the bacteria, archaea, fungi, nematodes, oomycetes, viruses, and insects.  Studying the phytobiome as a system can enhance understanding of how this community influences, and is influenced by, the plant.  Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing, computational biology, and many "omics" technologies are enabling exploration of the composition, function and activities of the cultured and uncultured members of these communities.  The Phytobiomes Initiative is an advocacy focus aimed at generating support and activities to achieve a comprehensive understanding of phytobiomes. Foundational and applied knowledge of phytobiomes is critical for their optimization to help increase agricultural productivity for sustained global food security.