Smart Farming Set To Revolutionise Agriculture
FarmBiz|May 2020
A team of researchers are set to uncover the secrets in the microbiomes that inhabit the rhizosphere – the area around a plant root inhabited by a unique population of micro-organisms – of soil. This research will enable farmers to reduce input costs and maintain or even increase yields.
Smart Farming Set To Revolutionise Agriculture

According to the project leader, Prof Karin Jacobs from Stellenbosch University’s Microbial Ecology and Mycology Laboratory, it is increasingly being recognized that soil microbiomes play a crucial role in nutrient cycling, soil formation, plant growth, and ultimately in the production of food.

Prof Jacobs says understanding the soil microbiome has clear and very practical applications for food production. She believes that understanding and harnessing the functional power of microbial communities will enable farmers to reduce input costs while maintaining or even increasing yields over time.

Smart farming

According to Prof Jacobs, the data generated will inform the identification of microbial profiles that are conducive to plant health, and farmers will be able to evaluate and adapt their practices to steer their soil towards harbouring more diverse and resilient microbial populations.

This story is from the May 2020 edition of FarmBiz.

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This story is from the May 2020 edition of FarmBiz.

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