Strategic funding and public-private partnerships are needed to support research and infrastructure for developing phytobiome-based management approaches.
The conceptual seed for phytobiomes was first planted at the American Phytopathological Society (APS) Thought Leaders Workshop held in May 2012. The name "Phytobiomes" was created by the APS Public Policy Board (PPB) in October 2013, and efforts to fully define the research needs and potential applications fo Phytobiomes grew through the strong support of APS, the premier scientific society dedicated to high-quality, innovative plant pathology research. In 2015, the constituency of support broadened due, in part, to the participation of interdisciplinary public and private sector scientists in "Phytobiomes 2015: designing a New Paradign for Crop Improvement," a workshop held in Washington, DC, in July 2015.
Phytobiomes advocacy is the top priority for the APS PPB. Given the multi-disciplinary approach necessary to meet the goals of this effort, APS PPB has collaborated with a variety of related scientific communities to encourage their involvement.
To date, many
presentations have been held and
meetings are underway...
