Purdue College of Agriculture joins International Phytobiomes Alliance

Story by Jillian Ellison, Photos by Tom Campbell

September 13, 2023

Purdue’s College of Agriculture, a global leader in agricultural and biological engineering, food systems and natural resource sciences, recently joined the International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research.

The International Phytobiomes Alliance coordinates global research projects on phytobiomes to accelerate the sustainable production of food, feed and fiber.

Roland Wilhelm, assistant professor of agronomy, and Laramy Enders, associate professor of entomology will represent Purdue in the alliance. Wilhelm joins the Alliance Coordinating Committee and the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Working Group, tasked with identifying major challenges and opportunities that could be addressed through phytobiomes research. Enders joins the Microbiome Working Group, focused on identifying knowledge and resource gaps that need to be addressed to advance understanding of the role microbes play within the broad phytobiome systems and how this information can improve agricultural sustainability.

As a sponsoring member of the International Phytobiomes Alliance, new opportunities are available for Purdue researchers to showcase cutting-edge research and to engage with companies as they work to improve food security and sustainability.

“Working with the International Phytobiomes Alliance supports our efforts to understand the complex interactions between plants, microbes and the environment to improve crops and build better indoor and urban cultivation systems,” Wilhelm said. “Purdue Applied Microbiome Sciences is home to diverse faculty research programs studying the role of phytobiomes in soils, insects, controlled environments and human health. Our partnership provides a platform to share our latest research and to harvest the latest insights.”

With the Purdue Applied Microbiome Sciences team spread across multiple departments, Wilhelm said the International Phytobiomes Alliance is eager to welcome others into the conversations and collaborations unfolding within the research community.

Faculty interested in more information on the Purdue Applied Microbiomes Sciences interdisciplinary community can join the list-serv at Purdue-phytobiomes@groups.purdue.edu.

Featured Stories

Stalk and Ear Rots: The Importance of Identifying Them Now to Help with Harvest Decisions

It is now time to evaluate fields for any stalk or ear rot symptoms. This will aid in making...

From lawn care to gardening, keeping thumbs green through the fall is a must

The sun is setting earlier, temperatures are dropping and the countdown to the final mow of the...

Purdue collaborates with Michigan State on global legume systems research program

A program led by Michigan State University’s (MSU) College of Agriculture and Natural...

Mohit Verma, professor of agricultural and biological engineering in Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, holds a prototype for a low-cost test to diagnose Covid-19 in animals

Purdue developing field test to detect SARS-CoV-2 virus in dozens of host species

Purdue University has received $2.7 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of...

Food science professor on Fulbright in Türkiye: When wheat isn’t wheat

Steve Lindemann, associate professor of food science, spent part of his summer in an unfamiliar...

Seedlings on Week 1 of Kadian's internship; seedlings on Week 9 of her internship; Kadian with a frog found in the greenhouse. Frogs are beneficial in the greenhouse because they eat fungus gnats, which can damage roots of seedlings.

FNR Field Report: Kadian Brown

Kadian Brown, a senior forestry major with a forest management concentration, worked as a forest...