We know from research on the human microbiome—the trillions of microbes that live on and around us—that it affects everything from our mood to how likely we are to get cancer. Plants, it turns out, have a microbiome of their own, and just as antibiotics wreak havoc on the human microbiome, pesticides and other chemicals have affected the health of crops. A startup called Indigo is working on dosing seeds in healthy microbes, so that farmers can grow as much as 10% more food, and, as the technology develops, yields may increase even more. It’s too early to tell, but this could be a breakthrough in how to feed a growing world population.
Probiotics for plants could help feed the world
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