Determination of carbon sources that potentialize the survival rate of Bacillus spp. and Trichoderma spp. in soil

• Grant number: 20/01811-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2020
• End date: December 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Dini Andreote
• Grantee: Caique Rozada
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The microorganisms present in the soil are extremely important for the good development of plants. Among them, we can mention bacteria of the genus Bacillus and fungi of the genus Trichoderma, which are directly linked to the nutrient cycling, to the promotion of plant growth through the production of phytohormones and to the biological control through suppression and antagonism to pathogens. Thus, the difficulties existing in the survival and multiplication of these organisms when applied to the soil are linked, among other factors, to the lack of substrates present in the soil, limiting the benefits they can bring to the agricultural system. Therefore, this research proposal aims to evaluate the ability to use specific sources, applied with the organisms added to the soil, to promote their better survival in the environment. The proposed methodology is the determination of the main carbon sources used by the bacterial lineage of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus velezensis and by the fungi lineage Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma asperellum, using the Biolog technique. With this information, substrates rich with these carbon sources will be selected, which will be evaluated in survival experiments of the lineage evaluated in different soils. The results have the potential to innovate the way bacterial and fungal are prepared to be inoculated in soils, enhancing the benefits that they produce agriculture. (AU)