miCROPe 2019 – emerging research priorities towardsmicrobe-assisted crop production

The miCROPe 2019 symposium, which took place from 2 to 5 December 2019 in Vienna, Austria, has unified researchers andindustry from around the world to discussopportunities,challengesandneedsof microbe-assisted crop production. There isbroad consensus that microorganisms—with their abilities to alleviate biotic and abiotic stresses and to improve plantnutrition—offer countless opportunities to enhance plant productivity and to ameliorate agricultural sustainability.However, microbe-assisted cultivation approaches face challenges that need to be addressed before a breakthrough of suchtechnologies can be expected. Following up on the miCROPe symposium and a linked satellite workshop on breeding forbeneficial plant–microbe interactions, we carved out research priorities towards successful implementation of microbiomeknowledge for modern agriculture. These include (i) to solve context dependency for microbial inoculation approaches and(ii) to identify the genetic determinants to allow breeding for beneficial plant–microbiome interactions. With thecombination of emerging third generation sequencing technologies and new causal research approaches, we now stand atthe crossroad of utilising microbe-assisted crop production as a reliable and sustainable agronomic practice.