The study of plant-microbe associations by new techniques has significantly improved our understanding of the structure and specificity of the plant microbiome. Comparable with our human microbiome, millions of microbes inhabit plants, forming complex ecological communities that influence plant growth and health through its collective natural product chemistry activities and host interactions. Work has shown that natural chemical signals from the root-colonizing bacteria trigger physiological changes in their host plants, leading to increased growth and yields. Biologics, Bayer Crop Science believes however that we are only now scratching the surface of developing microbiological products which can increase agriculture production using integrated solutions. Studying the root phytobiome in a field ecosystem can provide insight into how to promote plant health and stress tolerance of their hosts or how to adapt to various environmental conditions by manipulating this microbial community. Furthermore, improving genomic tracking techniques and diagnostics has the potential to characterize and enhance microbes benefiting the growing crops. For exemple, VOTiVO (Bacillus firmus), a microbial seed treatment, added on corn, in 2007 and 2008 an extra 4-5 bushels on top of the yield increase from Poncho. In multiple soybean trials, VOTiVO added an average 1.5 bushels per acre on top of the yield benefits of Trilex 6000.