Effects of human-induced environmental issues are often mitigated by interactions between above- and below-ground subsystems. Especially, the importance of plant-soil feedbacks, which are tightly connecting above- and below-ground subsystems, is widely recognized. Thus, research on feedback mechanisms may help to find solutions for these human-induced issues. Indeed, some recent studies relating to plant-soil interactions emphasize applied aspects, such as species and ecosystem conservation, and crop cultivations. Moreover, the technological revolution of recent years has promoted novel multidisciplinary approaches integrating genomics and metabolomics analyses with ecological techniques.

In this symposium, we have five high profile speakers, enabling us to share the latest knowledge on plant-soil interactions. The topics of each speaker not contain basic ecology, but multidisciplinary applied aspects. Thus, we will be able to develop a road-map for future research guided by this series of lectures.

Commentators: Makoto Kobayashi (Hokkaido Univ.), Syuntaro Hiradate (NIAES)