Ifs a small world: North Carolina ag-biotechnology companies are searching the smallest places for solutions to the largest problems.

• Position: CASH CROP

The soil is full of microorganisms. They help plants stay healthy, withstand stress and absorb water and nutrients, similar to how the ones in people help with digestion. Scientists call the relationships a microbiome. "You can take a soil sample and tell every single organism, and you can do it for a couple of hundred dollars," says Jacob Traverse, director of enterprise and technology development at Research Triangle Park-based North Carolina Biotechnology Center. "You can sequence one of those organisms and see who and what is happening in that soil." Once that's deciphered, biotechnologies can be developed that use those relationships to improve cultivated plants.

Novozymes AS, a Danish biotech company, develops enzymes, including ones that help with food and biofuel production and reduce the impact of cleaning products on the environment. It annually spends about 14% of its revenue on research and development. Much of it takes place in Franklinton, where it has its North American headquarters. In December 2013, Novozymes announced a partnership with Monsanto, a St. Louis-based agriculture and chemical company with offices in Mount Olive, Durham and Kannapolis, at North Carolina Research Campus. The resulting BioAg Alliance combines Novozymes' commercial operations with Monsanto's advanced biology, field-testing and commercial capabilities. It's intended to increase research and commercialization of microbial biotechnologies that can help farmers produce greater yields with less resources.

Microbes, plant extracts, insects and other organic materials can increase Crop health and yield. Microbial-based products use microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, many taken from the soil. Such products represent about a $2.3 billion industry after double-digit percent revenue growth in recent years, Monsanto officials said when announcing the alliance.

The products developed from microbe research reduce the amount of chemical fertilizers farmers apply to crops. They might not replace them entirely, but they can become part of a farmer's rotation. For example, farmers might apply the chemicals twice and the microbial product once. Incorporating it can prevent, or at least slow, plants from developing resistance to chemical pesticides and herbicides.

"The idea of using microbes is not new: says Trevor Thiessen, Novozymes' vice president of bioagriculture. "The first microbe-based product goes back to the late 1800s. The concept has been around...