NAPERDIV

Current agricultural practices are often not sustainable and lead to increased deterioration of fertile soils and the deposition of harmful agrochemicals. This is aggravated by the ongoing intensification of agricultural processes. Most crop production processes are short-lived; cereal crops are produced in processes that are highly destructive for soil biodiversity and local environments in general. Perennial grain cropping provides an alternative for conventional wheat production. In such system, plants are maintained for two and more years in the same field. This allows beneficial micro- and macro- organisms to settle and accumulate, which in turn has ecological, social and economic benefits. Targeted approaches for perennial wheat cropping are being developed since the 1980s; however, further as well as more intensified research is required to improve their productivity for economically justifiable expansion of cultivation areas. In addition to the biodiversity conservation capacity of perennial grains, also climate change will play an important role in their future development. These plants have a deeper and more robust root system than their annual counterparts. This is substantially increasing their water and nutrient use efficiency. Moreover, the root-soil interface is the main microenvironment of vascular plants where interactions with beneficial microorganisms take place. Microorganisms that naturally occur inside and on the surface of host tissues are collectively termed as the plant microbiota. Perennial grain plants intrinsically harbor various characteristics that are known to facilitate plant-microbe interactions and thus might specifically profit from microbial diversity in soils. So far, this remains elusive and targeted approaches are required to assess the potential of the microbiota in terms of plant growth promotion and increased pathogen resistance. In the present project, perennial grain cropping systems will be assessed in a Pan-European gradient (Sweden, Belgium, France) with different agro-ecological and climatic conditions. Microbiome analyses will be conducted to assess the microbiota in contrasting systems (annual vs. perennial) and to elucidate for the first time if perennial plants harbor a higher proportion of beneficial microorganisms that might be harnessed for future applications in sustainable agriculture.

Current agricultural practices are often not sustainable and lead to increased deterioration of fertile soils and the deposition of harmful agrochemicals. This is aggravated by the ongoing intensification of agricultural processes. Most crop production processes are short-lived; cereal crops are produced in processes that are highly destructive for soil biodiversity and local environments in general. Perennial grain cropping provides an alternative for conventional wheat production. In such systems, plants are maintained for two and more years in the same field. This allows beneficial micro- and macro-organisms to settle and accumulate, which in turn has ecological, social, and economic benefits. Targeted approaches for perennial wheat cropping (Thinopyrum intermedium L.) are being developed since the 1980s; however, further as well as more intensified research is required to improve their productivity for economically justifiable expansion of cultivation areas. In addition to the biodiversity conservation capacity of perennial grains, also climate change will play an important role in their future development. These plants have a deeper and more robust root system than their annual counterparts. This is substantially increasing their water and nutrient use efficiency. Moreover, the root-soil interface is the main microenvironment of vascular plants where interactions with beneficial microorganisms take place. Microorganisms that naturally occur inside and on the surface of host tissues are collectively termed as the "plant microbiota". Perennial grain plants intrinsically harbor various characteristics that are known to facilitate plant-microbe interactions and thus might specifically profit from microbial diversity in soils. In the present project, endophytic microbial communities of perennial wheatgrass were assessed for the first time. We implemented a comprehensive approach covering multiple sampling sites (Sweden, Belgium, France), timepoints, and plant compartments and found that differences in the microbiome between perennial wheatgrass and annual wheat were most pronounced in the roots, with lesser differences in the stems and leaves. Importantly, the perennial wheatgrass root microbiome displayed higher diversity and stability compared to its annual counterpart. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the seed microbiome remained consistent across multiple sampling sites and harvest years but was notably influenced by breeding practices. We discovered that bacterial diversity declined during the breeding process, but showed signs of recovery when plants were introduced to a new field site. These findings emphasize the importance of integrating the plant microbiome in future breeding initiatives and highlight the potential of perennial grain cultivation in promoting a more diverse and sustainable agriculture.