For the perfect cup of tea, start with the right bacteria

For the perfect cup of tea, does one add milk to boiling water, or the reverse? Neither, if new research in the journal Current Biology is to be believed. What must be prepared first, instead, are the microbes.

Scientists are increasingly aware that the fungi and bacteria living around a plant’s roots can significantly affect its growth. Previous studies on Arabidopsis, a species of cress that is the lab rat of the botanical world, have shown that the presence of the right microbes can enhance the absorption of critical nutrients like iron, phosphorus and nitrogen.