Researchers at the University of Minnesota have uncovered how naturally occurring soil microbial communities can help protect crops from disease, a discovery that has led to new agricultural biological technologies aimed at improving plant health and increasing yields.
The research began with an unexpected observation in a potato disease research nursery in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Established in 1942, the field had grown potatoes continuously for 35 years. Despite long-term monoculture and the presence of disease-susceptible potato varieties, the plants remained remarkably healthy.
Linda Kinkel, professor of plant pathology in the University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, and her colleagues suspected the answer lay beneath the soil surface.
To test the theory, researchers collected soil samples and heated half of them to eliminate microbial life while leaving the remaining samples unchanged. After introducing plant pathogens to all samples and growing potatoes, only the plants in the untreated soil resisted infection. The results demonstrated that naturally occurring soil microbes were responsible for suppressing disease.
Further research showed that disease suppression was not the result of a single beneficial organism. Instead, it depended on a diverse network of interacting microbes that work together to support plant health while limiting harmful pathogens.
Many of these beneficial microbes feed on carbon compounds released by plant roots or left behind in plant residue. In exchange, they convert nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium, zinc and iron into forms plants can readily use. At the same time, competition among beneficial microbes drives the production of compounds, including antibiotics, that limit competing organisms.
According to Kinkel, plant pathogens devote much of their energy to overcoming plant defenses rather than competing with established microbial communities. As a result, they are often suppressed by interactions among beneficial soil microbes.
Building on these findings, Kinkel and her colleagues developed and patented microbial technologies designed to introduce beneficial microbial communities into agricultural soils. Rather than relying on individual microbial strains, the approach emphasizes establishing diverse microbial partnerships that promote plant vigor throughout the growing season.
The technology is intended to help crops emerge more quickly, remain healthier and potentially reduce the need for inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides while increasing yields.
In 2013, Kinkel worked with the University of Minnesota's Research and Innovation Office to commercialize the research. The effort resulted in patent applications, commercial-scale testing, outside investment and the launch of Jord Bioscience, where Kinkel serves as chief scientific officer.
The company's microbial technologies have since been evaluated in field trials across the United States and South America.
Kinkel's contributions to agricultural biologicals also earned international recognition. In 2025, the World Food Prize Foundation named her one of its Top Agri-Food Pioneers, citing her work on a "biological playbook" model that has helped reshape product development in the agricultural biologicals sector.
Source: University of Minnesota, "When microbes cooperate, crops win"