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Pioneering work in plant microbiome research: AIT expert Angela Sessitsch in interview with Ö1 Science Arena

07.01.2025
How microbiomes are paving the way to more sustainable agriculture - insights from AIT expert Angela Sessitsch at Martin Haidinger
 

In the last 2024 edition of the Ö1 science format ‘Science Arena’ with Martin Haidinger, the focus was on three pioneers, including AIT microbiome expert Angela Sessitsch. Together with two other pioneers, the Eastern European historian Jens Schmitt and the orthopaedic surgeon Richard Malousek, they discussed what it feels like to break new scientific and practical ground and what challenges arise in the process. Angela Sessitsch shed light on her research into the plant microbiome and emphasised the importance of sustainable, microbially supported agriculture.

Agriculture around the world is facing enormous challenges: Rising populations, climate change, limited resources and the desire for food security require new solutions for sustainable agricultural systems. Conventional methods often rely on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, which can impair soil fertility and increase environmental pollution in the long term. In the Ö1 Science Arena, Angela Sessitsch emphasised that the mostly invisible microorganisms, the so-called microbiomes, play a key role here. These microscopic ‘little helpers’ can not only promote plant growth, but also increase resistance to diseases and thus reduce the use of chemicals.

As head of the Bioresources Unit at the AIT Center for Health and Bioresources, Sessitsch and her team are researching precisely these microbiomes that live in and on plants and in the soil. Their aim is to develop a profound understanding of how microbes support the plant and how this natural potential can be utilised effectively in agriculture.

  • International networking: As part of the newly founded international organisation MicrobiomeSupport, Sessitsch is working to establish global standards in microbiome research and to network science, politics and industry more closely.
  • Cluster of Excellence ‘Microbiomes Drive Planetary Health’: Here, she and her team contribute expertise to research the role of microorganisms for the environment, nutrition and health and thus develop long-term strategies for resource-conserving management.
  • miCROPe Symposium: As chair of the ‘Microbe-assisted Crop Production’ conference, she promotes dialogue between research and industry in order to jointly develop new, microbial-based applications for agriculture.

All these activities emphasise that microbe-assisted agriculture can not only help to improve crop yields and soil health, but is also an important step towards securing global food supplies.

The discussion in the Ö1 Science Arena made it clear that research into microorganisms is essential for future solutions. Whether in increasing plant resistance, conserving resources or promoting soil fertility - microbiomes open up enormous potential for innovation. With their work, Angela Sessitsch's team and the AIT are providing trend-setting impetus for sustainable agriculture and at the same time offering an outlook on how science, politics and industry can work together on global challenges.

Angela Sessitsch's contribution to the programme makes it clear that the future of agriculture lies in the intelligent use of microbial resources. Interdisciplinary research, international cooperation and sustainable technologies are opening up a way to harmonise ecology and productivity - for the benefit of people, the environment and a secure food supply.

Link to Show: https://sound.orf.at/podcast/oe1/science-arena/die-science-show-mit-professor-haidinger-wir-waren-die-ersten
All information about Ö1 Science Arena: https://oe1.orf.at/sciencearena