New Soil Microbiologist Aims to Study Plant-microbe Relationships, Improve Crop Growth

By Maddie Johnson

Following an unexpected path from dreams of medical school to agricultural science, soil microbiologist Mark McDonald is eager to improve soil health and crop growth by investigating plant-microbe relationships.

“A lot of people have heard of the human gut microbiome, and they understand if your gut microbiome is changed after taking antibiotics, you’re not going to feel super great,” McDonald said.

He said plants are similar.

Plants need nutrients, and microbes are how they get them, so the relationship is mutually beneficial, he explained.

“If we can understand that relationship better, we can manage our production better to make it easier on the plant and potentially reduce fertilizer costs,” he said. “At the end of the day, I want to be able to go to a field day and tell farmers the biology side of things that could help or hurt plant growth.”

McDonald joined the crop, soil and environmental sciences department last month as an assistant professor. He will conduct research and teach courses as part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.