Conference: International Phytobiomes 2024 - Harvesting the Future: Bridging Phytobiomes, Agriculture and Climate

The International Phytobiomes Conference 2024 (Phytobiomes 2024) – Harvesting the Future: Bridging Phytobiomes, Agriculture and Climate is an international conference that brings together a broad community of U.S. and international researchers and scientists from the public and private sector to collectively advance the newly emerging field of phytobiomes research.

A Phytobiome is a plant (phyto-) in a distinct geographical unit (-biome). Phytobiome research is a system-level approach focused on the complex interactions between plants, micro- and macro-organisms, soils, climate, environment, and management practices that affect the sustainable production of plants. Understanding the diverse and dynamic processes within phytobiomes is essential for ensuring the sustained health and productivity of crops, plant ecosystems, and, ultimately, consumers of plants and plant products.

Phytobiomes 2024 will be held November 19-21, 2024 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. This unique and multidisciplinary conference will advance the community’s knowledge of the diverse disciplines focusing on phytobiomes and build momentum to apply this knowledge in an integrative, collaborative way to increase the sustainable production of food, feed, and fiber while minimizing losses from pests, pathogens, and environmental stresses.

The International Phytobiomes Conference 2024 (Phytobiomes 2024) – Harvesting the Future: Bridging Phytobiomes, Agriculture and Climate will explore current and needed advances and opportunities for future research collaborations, thereby setting a stage to encourage the development of international and public-private collaborations to push this field forward. Additionally, basic and applied research priorities will be discussed to ensure that a strong science-based foundation is established to accelerate the translation to agricultural producers.

Plant and soil microbiomes will be a major focus as these areas require the most advancements for translation. Conference speakers will include scientists and agricultural practitioners from diverse disciplines who are engaged in research, education, application, and outreach at various levels in the agricultural system. Educating growers about the latest scientific developments and scientists about growers’ needs will ensure ultimate utility of research investments in microbiomes and phytobiome systems.

Conference discussions will help identify strategic research priorities, technology or resource needs. They will also facilitate the establishment of multidisciplinary research collaborations and partnerships. Expected outcomes include the development and distribution of white papers on topics such as soil health, controlled environment agriculture, regulatory science.

Additionally, education and outreach activities will engage the scientific and agricultural communities and society at large. The conference will seek input from students and early career professionals and educate them on the opportunities within phytobiomes science and applications. Overall, the Phytobiomes 2024 Conference will result in a cohesive research community with a clear focus and deep understanding of complex plant systems, facilitating the identification of future collaborative research areas that can positively impact plant-based agriculture.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.