Deciphering The Microbiome Associated With The Origins Of Agriculture

Coordinators: Dr Pablo García Palacios ([e-mail]), Dr Rubén Milla ([e-mail]), Dr Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo ([e-mail]), Dr Ruben Milla ([e-mail]) The MICROWILD project is an international research initiative focused on unveiling the soil microbiome associated to wild progenitors of major global crops. The aim is to uncover the core microbiome of ancestral plants in their native sites of distribution. Funded by Fundación BBVA, MICROWILD has established collaborations with research groups across the globe to conduct field sampling. These efforts target the native habitats of 10 crop wild progenitors: Wheat (Israel), Barley (Iran), Rice (China), Maize (Mexico), Soya (China), Cotton (Mexico), Little-millet (India), Sunflower (USA), Potato (Bolivia), Bean (Mexico). Project collaborators sampled multiple (10-15) populations along a climatic/edaphic gradient for each crop wild progenitor, allowing researchers to understand how environmental conditions influence microbiome composition. The goal is to identify core microbial communities associated with these wild progenitors that could be leveraged to enhance crop resilience, productivity, and sustainability.