# Translational microbiomes in agriculture: microbial communities as tools to effect host and system health for improved crop production

## TL;DR

This paper explores how microbiomes can be used in agriculture to improve crop health and production through diagnostic and intervention strategies.

## Contribution

The paper introduces the concept of translational microbiomes in agriculture, highlighting novel methodologies for crop health improvement.

## Key findings

- Translational microbiomes offer diagnostic tools for pathogen detection and stress monitoring in crops.
- Intervention strategies like synthetic communities and microbiome-aware practices can enhance crop health.
- Cost-effective microbiome approaches are becoming viable for precision agriculture and sustainability.

## Abstract

The boom of microbiome research in agriculture over the past several decades allows scientists, growers, policymakers, and businesses to collaborate on a unique opportunity—deploying microbiomes and microbiome attributes for the improvement of crop production. The idea of translational microbiomes is well established in the medical field; however, this framework is relatively new to agriculture. In this review, we discuss a series of methodologies grounded in microbiome science to enhance crop health. These include diagnostic approaches (pathogen and toxin detection and the monitoring of stress-related community ecology patterns) and intervention strategies (synthetic communities, microbiome-aware crop management practices, passaging microbiomes, and exploiting the vertical and lateral transmission of microbiomes to seeds). Developing and implementing these approaches remain challenging due, in part, to a shortage of long-term in situ studies demonstrating the robustness and effectiveness of translational microbiome efforts against the background of heterogeneity and ecological complexity of agricultural systems. Moreover, the cost and availability of ‘omics methods central to microbiome analysis, disparate standards for microbiome product development, and limited longstanding relationships with stakeholders have slowed down the application of microbiome-based solutions. However, the increasing cost-effectiveness of microbiome approaches in crop management makes translational microbiomes likely assets in the movement toward precision agriculture. This “personalized treatment” for plants holds promise for improved food security and environmental sustainability, by reducing commonplace synthetic amendments and promoting native microbial biodiversity.