Microbial Ecology for Nature-Based Innovation Plant-Soil Ecology

Online access* • LINK

Microbial Ecology provides a key framework for nature-based innovation by deciphering how microbial diversity, interactions, and functions operate in complex systems. In biostimulant development, this perspective is essential to overcome major barriers such as inconsistent field performance, limited persistence, and strong context dependency.
In the first part of this talk, I will discuss how principles from Microbial Ecology can drive biostimulant innovation by moving beyond single-strain, trait-based approaches toward community-aware strategies. Concepts such as microbial interactions, functional redundancy, and environmental filtering help explain the frequent gap between laboratory success and field efficacy and offer pathways to design more robust products.
In the second part, I will explore overlooked microbial traits that are rarely targeted in current biostimulant pipelines, including alternative nutrient acquisition strategies, metabolic flexibility, and interaction-mediated functions. Recognizing these hidden traits opens new avenues for developing biostimulants that align more closely with natural systems and deliver sustainable benefits.

* To access the meeting in the app without using the link, use the meeting ID  377 442 015 461 43 and access code Wv7jd9oF