dr. A (Annelein) Meisner

Microbiomes in the root zone can boost plant growth, suppress diseases in the root zone and influence nutrient availability. There are many challenges where microbial-based solutions are needed, such as cultivation with low use of chemical plant protection products, use of organic fertilizers, preventing carbon loss from soils and optimizing growing media with sustainable components. Thereto, I am interested to study how to optimize current and future production systems by steering and building a symbiotic microbiome that support both the growth of a healthy plant, but also the suppression of pathogens. This involved a holistic approach where all elements in the growing system that influence plant-microbiome interactions are considered. These include microbial additions, abiotic factors, type of cultivation system, organic fertilizers and sustainable growing media.

My interest in the microbial ecology of root zone and soil started during my master thesis project at RIVM on consequences of antibiotics for soil functions. This inspired me to continue as a PhD student on plant-soil interactions of new plants in Dutch Ecosystems under climate change at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. Thereafter, I continued as a postdoctoral researchers and research fellow at Lund University to study how climate fluctuations affect soil microbiomes, carbon cycling and the consequences for plants. In 2019, I started to work at Wageningen University & Research and coordinated a study on the global microbiome research landscape in the agrifood sector for the MicrobiomeSupport project. In 2022, I started at the BU greenhouse horticulture and flower bulbs as a researcher in microbial ecology of the root zone.