Even a single species of bacteria can positively affect soils and plants

Microbes deep in the soil influence plant health by releasing potent natural antibiotics such as PCA (phenazine-1-carboxylic acid). PCA-producing bacteria thrive on roots of dryland wheat throughout the Columbia Plateau, a major wheat-producing region in central Washington and Oregon, but their role in this important ecosystem was something of a mystery. Now the work of an international team of scientists provides direct evidence for the first time that these bacteria affect not only the wheat, but the soil around it.

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