Figure 4.

Workflow for the development of a SynCom. Starting from a specific environment and/or wild well-adapted plant population, the first step is to isolate and identify the culturable microbial endophytes. Thus, the identification and selection of potentially beneficial microbes occur through several in-vitro tests (e.g. biocompetition against phytopathogens and assessment of plant growth-promoting traits). Finally, prior to SynCom formulation, it is highly desirable to perform genomes sequencing of the best performing microbes (at least for bacteria) to have a clear picture of the biosynthetic pathways present in their genomes and to avoid the selection of isolates which can potentially produce metabolites with detrimental effects on animals and humans.