Location: Application Technology Research
Project Number: 5082-30500-001-087-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2025
End Date: Sep 29, 2029
Objective:
1. Determine the ability of commercial biofungicides to colonize leafy greens and vine crop roots and the fate of these microbes in hydroponic systems.
2. Evaluate native hydroponic microbes for their ability to colonize leafy greens and vine crop roots and biocontrol traits.
3. Conduct on-farm surveys of the impacts of microbial inoculants on root colonization and plant health.
4. Develop extension and outreach materials to provide best practices for using microbial inoculants in hydroponic systems.
Approach:
This project will be completed by a series of lab, greenhouse and on-farm trials. We will isolate native microbes from commercial hydroponics systems and screen these microbes for ability to colonize roots and for biocontrol traits in laboratory assays. We will screen native microbes and commercial biofungicides in model hydroponics systems for ability to colonize roots and reduce disease in greenhouse trials. We will assess application timing and persistence of beneficial microbes in hydroponic systems. In on-farm trials, we will assess the impacts of microbial inoculant application on hydroponic microbiomes. Lastly,
the results of these studies will be used to generate practical guidelines for hydroponic growers on the use of microbial inoculants.