Sattely’s lab studies soil microbiomes—the community of bacteria that live around the roots of plants to help them process nutrients in much the same way gut bacteria help people digest food.

…Many arid regions of the world, including the western United States, have alkaline soils, and this alkalinity acts like a chemical lock that traps iron in the ground.

…In the short term, Sattely’s lab will try to better understand how the coumarin adaptation works so they can eventually bioengineer wheat, corn or other crops to grow in alkaline soils. Meanwhile, as researchers use the hydroponic technique to discover other root microbiome adaptions, she believes this will lead to a second generation of plant genetic engineering. Instead of engineering manmade traits into plants, scientists will gain the ability to move naturally evolved traits from one plant to another.

A new way to grow crops in marginal soils could help feed the world

hmmm