006. James White, Part 2 – Something is happening between plants & microbes and it’s a big deal!

Today on the podcast we continue our conversation with Dr. James White. In this Part #2 installment Kim Sheese and Monte Bottens discuss with Dr. White the implications and applications of what we’ve learned about the rhizophagy cycle. This knowledge may help us to understand and think about some of the things we’ve seen with virulent diseases that we’ve seen in the corn belt, or in produce, or cotton. The rhizophagy cycle is a mechanism where plants attract microbes and acquire needed nutrients. But even more interesting, there’s also a mechanism where plants can actually cultivate their most beneficial microbes and then populate the soil with those microbes so they can maximize nutrient acquisition. We’re looking at the soil, plant and microbe interaction from a whole new perspective. We explore what plants are actually doing to help bring those microbes in through the root hairs. This is exciting research with real-time applications. Take a listen!