Benefits of Breeding Crops for Yield Response to Soil Organisms

Abstract

Agriculture currently supports the nutrition of over 7 billion people. This is achieved largely through high inputs of energy, fertilizers, water, and agrochemicals. However, such consumption is thought to be unsustainable. In this chapter, the possibility of breeding crops for increased resistance to pathogens and beneficial associations with soil organisms is considered. It is concluded that sustainable intensification might be achieved through the development of pathogen-resistant crop genotypes, which will reduce agrochemical inputs, and increased yield response to AM fungi, which will reduce requirements for phosphorus and microelement fertilizers, and rhizobia, which will reduce dependence on nitrogen-fertilizer additions.