Potential for mobilization and use of phosphorus from organic sources in Eucalyptus grandis and E. globulus: arbuscular mycorrhizal influence

• Grant number: 21/05815-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2021
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Sara Adrian Lopez de Andrade
• Grantee: Leonardo Souza de Andrade
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Phosphate (P) is an essential element that limits plants productivity, especially in tropical regions where the predominance of P in non-soluble forms contributes to its low availability to plants. Organic P forms (Po) can contribute significantly to the availability of this nutrient in the soil under these conditions. Throughout the evolution, plants have developed several strategies to improve the absorption of P in situations of low availability of the element, such as exudation of organic anions and extracellular enzymes such as phosphatases and phytases, as well as the establishment of mycorrhizal associations. These mechanisms can improve the mobilization capacity of the soil's Po. This project aims to evaluate the ability of roots of species of the genus Eucalyptus to mobilize different forms of Po, as well as the contribution of mycorrhizal symbiosis in the mobilization and absorption of Po. This will be accomplished by analyzing the activity of enzymes such as phosphatases and phytases in roots of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants of Eucalyptus grandis and E. globulus. The project proposes the evaluation of the activity of exoenzymes and root exudate, as well as extraradicular mycelium of AMF, related to P mobilization from organic phosphorus sources, such as: phytate, glucose-6-phosphate, microbial necromass, ATP and RNA, in order to clarify how the presence of AMF influences plant's P uptake.