Deciphering the role of bacterial volatile organic compounds in the promotion of maize (Zea mays L.) growth and health and in the modulation of its microbial community

• Grant number: 22/00474-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2022
• End date: October 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Velasco de Castro Oliveira
• Grantee: Juliana Velasco de Castro Oliveira
• Host Institution: Embrapa Meio-Ambiente. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA). Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Brasil). Jaguariúna , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Leonardo José da Silva ; Maria Juliana Calderan Rodrigues

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are signaling molecules produce during the microbial metabolism. Interestingly, it is known that these gaseous metabolites can promote plant growth as well as inhibit the growth of phytopathogens. So far, there are several studies with Arabidopsis thaliana (mainly), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), alfalfa (Mendicago sativa), Nicotiana attenuata, cucumber (Cucumis sativus), cabbage (Brassica rapa), soybean (Glycine max L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.); however, few studies were carried out with maize (Zea mays L.), an important agricultural crop. Therefore, we propose to establish a collection of VOC-producers bacteria capable of promoting plant growth and with antagonistic effect on phytopathogens of maize, as well as to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in these processes. The bacteria will be selected from rhizospheric soil (free-living) and maize plant tissues (endophytic). As main objectives, we propose: (i) Isolate and identify VOC-producer bacteria that promote maize growth and inhibit the growth of phytopathogens; (ii) Identify which bioactive volatiles are responsible for the phenotypes of interest investigated in (i); (iii) Evaluate the gene expression of maize plants that had their growth induced by VOCs and/or phytopathogen which growth was inhibited in (i); and (iv) Evaluate the rhizosphere microbial community of maize in the presence or absence of VOCs, as well as of the neighboring maize plants. This proposal consists of a multidisciplinary approach involving areas of chemistry, microbiology, agronomy, and molecular biology, and it is based on biology data from the scientific literature, as well as data from FAPESP projects (PITE -Agilent 2017/20521-6 and BIOEN 2017/24395-5). Few groups in Brazil have a focus on this important topic, and the objective of our group, included in this project, is the characterization of new bioactive molecules and the molecular understanding of how they act. This is the first step to enable, in the future, the development of bioproducts aiming a sustainable agriculture. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ALMEIDA, OCTAVIO AUGUSTO COSTA; DE ARAUJO, NATALIA OLIVEIRA; DIAS, BRUNO HENRIQUE SILVA; FREITAS, CARLA DE SANT'ANNA; COERINI, LUCIANE FENDER; RYU, CHOONG-MIN; OLIVEIRA, JULIANA VELASCO DE CASTRO. The power of the smallest: The inhibitory activity of microbial volatile organic compounds against phytopathogens. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 13, p. 31-pg., 2023-01-04. (18/04184-2, 17/24395-5, 22/00474-1, 19/08522-2)

DE MENEZES, FABRICIA FARIAS; MARTIM, DAMARIS BATISTAO; LING, LIU YI; MULATO, ALINE TIEPPO NOGUEIRA; CRESPIM, ELAINE; OLIVEIRA, JULIANA VELASCO DE CASTRO; DRIEMEIER, CARLOS EDUARDO; DE GIUSEPPE, PRISCILA OLIVEIRA; ROCHA, GEORGE JACKSON DE MORAES. Exploring the compatibility between hydrothermal depolymerization of alkaline lignin from sugarcane bagasse and metabolization of the aromatics by bacteria. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, v. 223, p. 8-pg., 2022-11-09. (19/22213-2, 19/06921-7, 22/00474-1, 19/08590-8)

BORIN, GUSTAVO PAGOTTO; OLIVEIRA, JULIANA VELASCO DE CASTRO. Assessing the intracellular primary metabolic profile of Trichoderma reesei and Aspergillus niger grown on different carbon sources. FRONTIERS IN FUNGAL BIOLOGY, v. 3, p. 20-pg., 2022-09-27. (15/08222-8, 17/18987-7, 22/00474-1)

ALMEIDA, OCTAVIO AUGUSTO COSTA; DE ARAUJO, NATALIA OLIVEIRA; MULATO, ALINE TIEPPO NOGUEIRA; PERSINOTI, GABRIELA FELIX; SFORCA, MAURICIO LUIS; CALDERAN-RODRIGUES, MARIA JULIANA; OLIVEIRA, JULIANA VELASCO DE CASTRO. Bacterial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) promote growth and induce metabolic changes in rice. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE, v. 13, p. 16-pg., 2023-02-09. (17/20521-6, 22/00474-1, 19/08522-2)