Microbial communication in plant-associated microbiomes: from ecology to agricultural applications

Abstract

Bacteria living in association with plants form complex communities whose activities influence plant health, growth and responses to environmental stress. Yet, how these microorganisms communicate and coordinate their functions within natural microbiomes remains poorly understood. In this seminar, I will discuss quorum sensing and, in particular, the diversity and ecological roles of LuxI/R systems and LuxR solo regulators in plant-associated bacteria. Comparative genomics reveals extensive variation in these communication systems, suggesting that bacterial signalling is shaped by ecological context rather than following a single conserved model. I will highlight our efforts to link genomic diversity with the recognition of microbial and plant-derived signals and with functions relevant to rhizosphere community interactions. Finally, I will discuss how understanding microbial communication could inform the design of more reliable microbiome-based approaches for sustainable agriculture, including microbial consortia and rhizosphere microbiome transplantation.

Speaker Biography

The research of Vittorio Venturi focuses on bacterial cell–cell communication, quorum sensing and the ecology of plant-associated microbiomes. His group combines comparative genomics, molecular microbiology and experimental approaches to investigate how microbial signalling shapes community interactions, with applications in plant health and sustainable agriculture. He is also actively interested in transferring mature microbial technologies in Africa, particularly in agriculture and food biotechnology.