The main aim » and objective of the Action is to evaluate the potential of various levers and propose strategies for the integration and improvement of the services provided by the beneficial root-associated microorganisms to agriculture. This will be achieved through the specific objectives detailed in the Technical Annex. join us »
Activities
COST Action Description
Beneficial root-associated microorganisms, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, nodule-inducing nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, and plant growth-promoting bacteria / fungi, are key players for crop productivity in low-inputsystems. Identification of environmental and genetic determinants controlling their interactions with crops is paramount for the development of a more sustainable agriculture, and this requires multi disciplinary research approaches. However, the research field remains fragmented and beneficial microorganism interactions with plant roots are often overlooked in agricultural management practices or in breeding programs. ROOT-BENEFIT aims to bring together, specialists of these different types of beneficial interactions working at different levels of study, together with socio-economic actors to create a networkable to: i) sum up and disseminate the current knowledge on agronomic, environmental and economic criteria characterizing the services provided by beneficial root-associated microorganisms, ii) perform meta-analyses with existing datasets, iii) identify gaps in the current knowledge and define future research priorities, iv) propose methodologies and strategies for implementing or improving crop interactions with beneficial root-associated microorganisms in agriculture, v) propose recommendations on microbial applications to inoculant producers, policy-makers and end-user farmers. Overall, ROOT-BENEFIT will strengthen the European research capacity and leadership on beneficial root-associated microorganisms,and facilitate knowledge transfer to socio-economic actors and inclusiveness towards European and Mediterranean countries.
Photo credit : Iaroslavna Fable
Areas of Expertise
Biological sciences: Symbiosis
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries: Agriculture related to crop production, soil biology and cultivation, applied plant biology, crop protection
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries: Sustainable Agriculture
Biological sciences: Plant biology, Botany
Biological sciences: Microbiology
Keywords
# beneficial root microorganisms
# plant-microbe symbioses
# ecosystem services
# agriculture
Working Groups
To address the challenges, four Working
Groups (WG) have been identified.
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Photo credit : Iaroslavna Fable