Unearthing the world of plant soil communication
Posted on: 16 August 2023 by Edward Cairns in August 2023 posts
Earlier this summer, Edward Cairns, a PhD student from the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour attended a workshop in Granada, Spain hosted by the Spanish National Research Council. Here Edward discusses the training provided and how this will aid his PhD.
In late July, myself and Harri Walters, a fellow PhD student in Dr Sharon Zytynska’s group, had the opportunity to travel to Granada, Spain to attend a training workshop. Dr Zytynska’s research group focuses on plant-insect-microbe interactions and this workshop provided training on root exudates. Our hosts were Dr Juan Antonio López Ráez and Dr Javier Lidoy from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spanish National Research Council).
Root exudates are molecules released by plant roots directly into the soil around them, also known as the rhizosphere. With these organic compounds, a plant can influence and impact the microbial community within its immediate proximity to aid its growth or resist pathogens. This vital interaction provides plants with nutrients they usually wouldn’t be able to access, and is so important, it occurs in 90% of all land plant species.
Understanding these exudate-driven interactions is key to promoting optimal plant health for vital areas such as agriculture and industry, and could provide alternatives to harmful chemical fertilisers and pesticides. My PhD with the ACCE DTP is focused on trying to unravel and exploit these plant-microbe interactions, so I was very eager to attend this workshop on these fascinating molecules.
The session started with a presentation on Dr Juan Antonio López Ráez and Dr Javier Lidoy's root exudate extraction method, and how we could adapt this to our own work. Their research group has been optimising this method for over 10 years, so this was an amazing opportunity to learn from their wealth of experience. One significant issue raised was the difficulty of exudate extraction from soil in different regions, with factors such as clay content and water retention being discussed in depth. I particularly enjoyed this part of the workshop, as it gave me the chance to chat with members of many different labs, sharing our own problems and solutions that we had all encountered, or would in the future.
The second day of the workshop was more practical with our hosts guiding us through their method with real plant samples. This gave us hands-on experience with the equipment and method and allowed us to consider how we would build our own system.
The workshop concluded with a final meeting to discuss any issues and clarify any uncertainties. I thoroughly enjoyed this workshop, which was also my first abroad. Juan and Javier were helpful and friendly throughout the session and encouraged us to contact them if we needed more information, or would like to collaborate in the future.
I left excited to trial this method in my own lab and to further develop the international connections we had made.