Understanding the responses of peach roots to increased soil organic matter

The use of soil amendments (e.g. compost) from food waste has been proposed as a strategy for improving soil health and orchard sustainability, and reducing the amount of food waste going to the landfill. While addition of soil organic matter (SOM) improves biological, physical, and chemical characteristics of soils, the effect of increased SOM on root transcriptome has not been studied in trees. Understanding transcriptomic changes will shed light on the complex molecular mechanisms that underlie the root responses to soil conditions.