Breeding plant-associated microbes to solve the hidden hunger: Invited speaker, key note lecture in; Plant Genomics and Gene Editing Congress, Europe

The attempt to breed more nutritious crops are currently limited by the slow and expensive breeding process, yet genetic improvement of plant-associated microorganisms can be a solution. Here we address the plant hormone ethylene as a target for genetic improvement. We first demonstrate that increased ethylene production is associated with more nutritious plants. Further, we demonstrate that the manipulation of ethylene by mutations in root-associated bacteria and in plant genome result in similar improvement of plant micronutrient content. Since mutations in plant-associated microorganisms are far easier to obtain, genetic improvement of microorganisms may offer a powerful and GMO-free strategy to breed more nutritious crops and tackle the global problem of nutrient deficiency.