Communications of the ACM
Digging Deep: Harnessing the Power of Soil Microbes for More Sustainable Farming
This farm in Arkansas may soon be the most scientifically advanced farm in the world.
Credit: Jay McEntire
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are working on a "farm of the future" project based on microbiology and machine learning. Working with the University of Arkansas and Glennoe Farms, the team is growing soybeans, corn, and rice at an Arkansas farm that they hope to transform into the world's most scientifically-advanced farm. Computers are performing genetic sequencing on microbes in soil samples, while drones are taking hyperspectral images of the crops, and supercomputers will analyze the massive volumes of data collected.
The project aims to revolutionize agriculture and create sustainable farming practices that decrease the need for chemical fertilizers and enhance soil carbon uptake, which would improve long-term land viability and boost crop yields.
Key to the project is understanding the role of microbes in the health of the soil, with the scientists hoping to learn to engineer microbial communities to enhance soil productivity.
From Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
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