Understanding Phytobiomes for Improved Crop Productivity

Plants grow in association with complex communities of other organisms, many of which can influence the health and productivity of plants and their responses to pathogens, pests and environmental stresses.  The phytobiome includes all of the living organisms in, on and around plants, and encompasses the many organisms that influence or are influenced by the plant or the plant environment.  Due to the diverse and dynamic processes carried out by biome members, the phytobiome contributes to the sustained health and productivity of plants, plant ecosystems, and consumers of plants and plant products. Recent advances in systems biology approaches as well as supporting technologies, such as high-throughput sequencing, computational biology and many '-omics' technologies, are enabling exploration of the composition, function, and activities of phytobiomes.  Application of a systems approach and these technologies to fundamental questions is critical to advance our understanding of the many organismal interactions and organism-environment interactions affecting plant biomes.  Furthermore, application of this approach to applied questions will enable the use of knowledge of phytobiomes to enhance crop productivity for sustained global food security and bioenergy production.  We are facing challenges of increasing global population and threats to crop productivity due to climate change and water, land and nutrient constraints.  These challenges illustrate a critical need to understand and fully exploit the benefits of phytobiomes knowledge to sustainably promote plant health and productivity.