Potential of drylands soil microbiomes in enhancing Glycine max tolerance to water stress

• Grant number: 24/11660-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2028
• 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 vast expanses of arid, semi-arid, and dry subhumid lands constitute approximately 40% of the Earth's surface and support around 28% of the global population. These regions, often overlooked, serve as habitats for unique biodiversity that has adapted to extreme conditions. This biodiversity provides valuable genetic resources, including microorganisms and metabolic processes, which can enhance plant resilience in adverse environments. Given that soybean (Glycine max) is a crop of significant economic and nutritional importance, optimizing its production in water-scarce regions is crucial, especially with climate change exacerbating global water stress. This research focuses on the potential of microbiomes from semi-arid regions, specifically the Caatinga biome, to enhance soybean tolerance to water stress. We will employ an innovative microbial coalescence approach, mixing soils from Caatinga/Ceará and Mata Atlântica/São Paulo in different proportions (100/0, 20/80, 50/50, 80/20, and 0/100). Gene expression and secondary metabolite production related to water stress will be analyzed, assessing the biological impact of the Caatinga microbiome on agronomic and physiological plant attributes. Additionally, we will examine gene expression linked to oxidative and osmotic metabolism in two soybean genotypes (one stress-tolerant and one stress-susceptible) under three stress levels (no stress [70%], 40%, and 20% of field capacity in pots). In the final stage, we will perform bioprospecting of bacteria that enhance plant gene expression and increase their tolerance to water stress. This will involve constructing a synthetic community for a new experiment using the soybean genotype that best responds to microbiomes in the initial stages. We anticipate that soybean cultivars will positively respond to microbiome modifications, leading to increased expression of water stress-related genes and essential metabolite production. This pioneering project aims to address climate change by promoting plant resilience, sustainability, and climate adaptation through nature-based approaches. (AU)