Our Research Engineering thermo-responsive plant growth-promoting bacteria to induce pre-emptive stomatal cooling in crops
Fluorescent tagging of P. protegens Pf-5, a beneficial, soil-dwelling bacterium naturally found on the root surfaces of plants. Image credit: Ismail Mahdi
Principal Investigator
Benedetto Marelli
- Professor
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Benedetto Marelli is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT and a Faculty Leader in the MIT Climate Project. He received a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, and a PhD in Materials Science from McGill University. The Marelli research group works on designing biomaterials and living solutions for precision agriculture, food security, and food safety. Marelli received several awards, including PECASE and the BII&Science AAAS Innovation Award.
Challenge:
How can we prepare plants to better respond to sudden temperature increases?
Research Strategy
- Engineer bacteria living on plants to sense heat waves
- Design the "sensing" bacteria to modulate the plant response to heat stress
Project description
As global temperatures rise, severe heatwaves are increasingly threatening agricultural security by causing plants to dry out and wilt. When exposed to extreme heat, plants open tiny breathing pores on their leaves to cool down, which inadvertently leads to rapid, lethal water loss. To solve this, this research focuses on genetically engineering naturally occurring soil bacteria to serve as biological alarms that trigger preemptive defenses to safeguard plants from heat damage. Once applied, the hope is these engineered microbes will sense extreme heat and immediately signal the host plant to preemptively close its pores before critical water loss occurs. By manipulating specific bacterial pathways, this project aims to create a proactive, biofriendly treatment that helps crops conserve water and survive devastating heatwaves.
Additional Details
Impact Areas
- Food
- Climate & Sustainability
Research Themes
- Sustainability & Adaptation
- Soil Fertility & Crop Productivity
Year Funded
- 2026
Grant Type
- Seed Grant
Status
- Ongoing