Brazilian soils microbiome: database and predictive ai models

• Grant number: 21/04193-4
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2022
• End date: February 28, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Kumazawa Morais
• Grantee: Daniel Kumazawa Morais
• Host Institution: Instituto Biológico (IB). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Alessandra Rodrigues Kozovits ; Fernando Dini Andreote ; Iñaki Odriozola ; Luiz Fernando Wurdig Roesch ; Marc Redmile-Gordon ; Petr Baldrian ; Ricardo Harakava ; Victor Satler Pylro
• Associated research grant: 17/50334-3 - Institutional research development plan (PDIp): modernization and adequacy of strategic multi-user units of the Instituto Biológico, AP.PDIP
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/15724-3 - Creation and maintenance of Linux systems to high performance data processing, BP.TT; 22/08632-5 - Brazilian soils microbiome: database and predictive AI models, BP.JP

Abstract

Effects of human activities promoted by land use changes has led, among others, to temperature increase and nitrogen contamination, with a direct impact on soil microbiome and its functioning. Soil quality relates to its offered environmental services, in a way that high quality soils act increasing the humidity in the environment, filtering the water, helping to reduce atmospheric pollution, and therefore, supporting animal and plant productivity. Despite the fact that Brazil is challenged with the anthropogenic impacts aforementioned, studies of the consequences for soils and soil microbes are still scarce, perhaps because of the country's magnitude and the need for systematic sampling. Traditionally, soil quality is evaluated using physico-chemical indicators. Such measurements are not able to detect loss of soil quality as an immediate response to changes in soil management strategies or environmental fluctuations. On the other hand, the microbial community promptly respond to short-term changes, therefore, adding this information a new quality index gives us the power to monitor the soil and define intervention actions to recover the soil quality. With this proposal, we expect to create a reference atlas of all types of soils in Brazil at natural and managed conditions, encompassing both physico-chemical and microbiological parameters. We reinforce that the novelty of this proposal is the creation of a comprehensive database that includes the microbial profile information, supporting the development of a sensitive soil quality index. These data will allow us to assemble a predictive model of the soil bacteria and fungi in response to future environmental conditions. Finally, analysis of microbial-driven processes across land use will help us to refine these models. (AU)