Chapter 1, continued
Not One Organism. A Community.
A true biome is more than the presence of microorganisms. It is a diverse, interactive and functional biological community around the root.
A true biome is a living community.
A biome is a community of living organisms interacting with one another and their environment. Around a plant root, that community exists within the rhizosphere—the living interface between the root and the surrounding soil.
But the presence of microorganisms alone doesn't define the community we are trying to support. What matters is the diversity of the biology, the interactions within the community, and the functions that community can perform around the root.
Diverse
Different organisms can contribute different—and sometimes overlapping—biological functions. A diverse community brings those different biological capabilities together around the root.
Interactive
Organisms exist in relationship with one another, the root and their surrounding environment. A biome is a community, not simply a collection of organisms occupying the same space.
Functional
Diversity alone isn't the objective. Different organisms can contribute different biological capabilities within the root-zone community. What matters is whether those capabilities come together as a functioning community around the root.
Diverse. Interactive. Functional.
That's what we mean by a true biome.
A familiar example
Think about the human gut microbiome.
We don't think of the human gut microbiome as one beneficial organism doing one job. It is a complex biological community—many different microorganisms contributing different and sometimes overlapping functions, interacting with one another and with their environment.
The important idea isn't any one organism.
It's the functioning community.
Human gut
- Many organisms
- Different & overlapping functions
- InteractionsFunctioning community
Root zone
- Many organisms
- Different & overlapping functions
- InteractionsFunctioning community
Different biological systems.
The same community principle.
The biology around a plant root is very different from the biology of the human gut, but the community principle is similar. The rhizosphere is also home to many organisms interacting with one another, the root and their surrounding environment.
That's the connection behind the TrueBiome concept.
Biology can be present.
The question is what it's doing.
Soil already contains biology. TrueBiome does not begin with the assumption that soil is biologically empty.
But biological presence alone doesn't tell us which organisms are there, what functions they contribute, or how they are interacting around the root.
A true biome is therefore not defined simply by how many microorganisms are present. The more important question is whether the community is diverse, interactive and functional around the crop.
The goal isn't simply more microbes.
The goal is a functioning biological community.
From concept to program
A true biome is the community.
The TrueBiome System is the program.
A true biome describes the diverse, interactive and functional biological community we seek to support around the root.
The TrueBiome System is the crop-specific biological program designed around that objective.
The system brings multiple scientifically selected organisms with different and complementary functions together around the root, with the objective of building a balanced biological community. Those elements are coordinated as one crop-specific program built around the crop, how it is grown and its root-zone environment.
What a true biome is not.
- Nota single organism or single active ingredient.
- Notsimply a high organism count.
- Nota random collection of microorganisms.
- Nota substitute for sound agronomy, fertility or irrigation management.
- Nota guarantee of a specific yield increase.
- Notexpected to perform identically in every crop, soil or environment.
A true biome is about the community: its diversity, its interactions and its functions around the root.
Common questions
Frequently Asked
Is a TrueBiome the same as a probiotic for plants?
Not literally. The comparison can help explain the idea of a biological community, but the organisms, environment and functions around a plant root are different from those of the human gut. The TrueBiome System is built specifically around the plant root zone.
How is TrueBiome different from simply adding a biological product?
TrueBiome begins with the biological community rather than any one organism or input. The system is built around bringing selected biology together as a coordinated, crop-specific program for the root zone.
Does TrueBiome replace good agronomy?
No. The TrueBiome System is designed to work alongside sound soil, water and nutrient management—not instead of them.
Isn't this biology already in the soil?
Soil already contains biological communities, and TrueBiome does not assume otherwise. The question is not simply whether microorganisms are present, but which organisms and functions are represented and how that community is interacting around the crop's roots.
The next question
Does it matter in the field?
A biological concept only becomes useful if it can be evaluated under real production conditions. TrueBiome programs are being evaluated in commercial crops against grower-standard practices, with results reported crop by crop and trial by trial.
Understand the community.
Then see how the program is built.
The TrueBiome concept begins with the community. The next step is understanding how biology, crop, production system and timing are brought together in a crop-specific program.