The unsustainability of massive agrochemical applications has forced us to look deeper into what a crop plant is, and we discovered that it is more than just a plant attached to a substrate.
A crop plant is a system that integrates soil and its biodiversity into a complex network of nutrient acquisition, carbon balance, and metabolic regulation.
The RELAR-PGPRLat joint workshop: Microbes for food security 2025 brought together researchers from around the world to stay up to date on the latest research on this topic. Much as the plant holobiont works, it is constructing a network of brains working toward three objectives: more food, less agricultural pollution, and soils that can capture carbon from the atmosphere.
During the workshop, UNU-BIOLAC scholarship awardees had the unique opportunity to present their work to top minds in the field and get their feedback. We are thankful to Dr. Claudio Valverde and the rest of the organizing committee* for carrying out this great experience at Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina.
* Organizing comitee:
Fabricio Cassán (Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto-CONICET).
María Florencia Del Papa (Universidad Nacional de La Plata-CONICET).
Guillermo Maroniche (Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-CONICET).
Mariano Pistorio (Universidad Nacional de La Plata -CONICET).
Mariana Puente (IMyZA-INTA).
Claudio Valverde (Universidad Nacional de Quilmes -CONICET).
