Producing wine is expected to be tough in the next years due to climate changes such as increasing droughts and pest occurrence. French agronomists Trouvelot et al. report the benefits of mycorrhiza in viticulturefound an unexpected ally, the so-called arbuscular mycorrhiza, a plant-fungus team located in the vine roots. They detail the benefit of these microbial friends in their report.

Scientists have found that plants grow better with the help of some soil bacteria, named plant growth-promoting bacteria or rhizobacteria; from the Greek ‘rhiza’ meaning roots. Such bacteria form symbiotic associations with plant roots and enhance nitrogen and mineral fixation by plants. Rhizobacteria may thus be spread onto crop soils to enhance yields, but field experiments are so far rarely successful. Agronomists Berger et al. demonstrate that Kosakonia radicincitans promotes radish growth both in pots and field conditions.

Legumes are plant species that can fix atmospheric nitrogen, and thus legumes do not need costly and polluting fertilisers. Such an advantage is provided by special bacteria that live in small, round homes, named nodules, which are built by the plant in the roots. Basically, plants provide the home and food for bacteria, and, in return the bacteria transform atmospheric nitrogen into plant-edible nitrogen. Plant physiologists Voisin et al. study hypernodulating legumes, that are plants that have more homes to host bacteria, to design new species needing less fertilisers.

Classical fertilisers are expensive and are polluting waters when applied in excess. Therefore scientists are actually seeking sustainable alternatives such as biofertilisers. Megali et al. show that research reports on ‘effective microorganisms’, a commercial mixture of bacteria and yeast, conclude on an overall positive effect of this biofertiliser on crop yields. Nevertheless, effective microorganisms also induces higher vulnerability to insect attack in cornfields.