University of Hyderabad contributes to landmark global study on wild crop relatives, soil biodiversity

A global study in ISME Communications shows that wild ancestors of modern crops sustain unique soil microbes vital for ecosystem health. The University of Hyderabad team contributed fieldwork on wild little millet, offering insights for sustainable and climate-resilient farming

Hyderabad: An international team of researchers has uncovered how wild ancestors of modern crops hold the key to preserving and restoring the planet’s hidden soil biodiversity.

This landmark study is one of the largest of its kind and reveals that crop wild progenitors (CWPs) nurture unique and ecologically vital underground communities of microorganisms, offering valuable insights for sustainable agriculture and climate-resilient ecosystems.

---

The study, titled “Native edaphoclimatic regions shape soil communities of crop wild progenitors”, was published in ISME Communications, a prestigious journal from Oxford University Press and the official publication of the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME), Netherlands.

Led by María José Fernández-Alonso from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, the international consortium included 25 research groups from 11 countries — Spain, India, Australia, Mexico, the United States, Argentina, China, Germany, Switzerland, Israel, and Chile.

From India, Prof Appa Rao Podile and his team — Dr Ch Danteswari and Dr PVSRN Sarma from the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad have made a notable contribution, particularly in field studies involving the wild relatives of the ‘little millet’ crop.

The team of researchers examined 125 populations representing 10 crop wild progenitors collected from their native habitats across diverse environments worldwide.