The interaction between the soil microbiome and the use of agrochemicals: an ecological approach

• Grant number: 19/03712-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2019
• End date: May 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Dini Andreote
• Grantee: Fernando Dini Andreote
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Brazilian agricultural production system is dependent on the use of agricultural pesticides, molecules used to control pests and pathogens. However, little is known about the interaction of these substances with the living fraction of the soils. In this context, the project aims to: i) infer about changes in the structure and microbial functionality of soils due to the application of seven agricultural pesticides in soils with and without a history of pesticide application; ii) evaluate whether the use of pesticides increases the occurrence of genes related to their degradation, or of genes that confer resistance to multi-drugs; iii) to evaluate if the diversity of the microbial community changes the response of this community to the application of pesticides and iv) to evaluate if the use of pesticides influences the subsequent persistence of pathogens in the soil. In the second experiment three pesticides selected in the first experiment will be applied to different levels of microbial diversity obtained by the dilution method for extinction. In the third experiment the severity of the symptoms of non-target pathogens of pesticides under the influence of pesticides will be evaluated. Samples obtained during the experiment will be analyzed using conventional analytical methods such as the measurement of microbial enzyme activity along with more robust methods such as sequencing of phylogenetic marker genes and quantification of genes of interest. With this, it is expected to study the functional and structural changes of microbial communities, with emphasis on microbial ecology and the role of microbial diversity in the interaction with pesticides. (AU)