Scientists at VIB and Ghent University have produced the first high-resolution, cell-by-cell map of how tomato roots respond to colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. These ancient fungal partners help plants absorb nutrients from the soil. The study, published in Current Biology, reveals the precise molecular programs that unfold as the symbiosis progresses through different stages, and identifies promising new genetic regulators that could one day be used to engineer more efficient, sustainable crops.

A new publication by the lab of Sofie Goormachtig that demonstrates the role of a beneficial Microbacterium, called SRS2, that can promote plant growth even under salt stress conditions.

"Nature Awards Science in Shorts" is an annual event hosted by the scientific journal Nature to celebrate science communication through short films. This year, colleagues from the Goormachtig lab at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology won the public's favorite prize in the competition at the "Curious2024 – Future Insight™" conference for their Microbial Medicine for Plants video.