The Plant-Microbe Interfaces (PMI) project comprises an integrated collection of plant scientists, ecologists, microbiologists, analytical technologists, and computational scientists focused on understanding the productive relationship between plants and microbes. We are a Genomic Science program Science Focus Area (SFA) led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and sponsored by the Biological Systems Science Division of the U.S. Department of Energy's Biological and Environmental Research Program.

Project efforts focus on revealing the genomic bases underpinning the selection of symbiotic plant-microbe partnerships, assessing how the physical and chemical environment structures the host plant’s microbiome, and determining how microbial community composition and host genetics combine to respond to environmental challenges.

Understanding the relationships between genome sequences of the component organisms and the interface between plants, microbes, and their environment across scales is a dynamic, complex systems problem and is recognized as a grand challenge.

PMI science facilitates the development of the emerging bioeconomy, understanding of material flow through coupled plant-microbe-environment systems, and expands our ability to enhance plant-microbiome tolerance and resilience to environmental stress under changing environmental conditions.