Microbiological characterization and ecological implication of inoculants in soils under integrated production systems

• Grant number: 22/09977-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Dini Andreote
• Grantee: Nariane de Andrade
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Politécnica (EP)
• Associated research grant: 20/15230-5 - Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Innovation - RCG2I, AP.PCPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/01300-2 - Establishment and persistence of bacterial SynCom in the soil microbiome and the development of wheat (Triticum aestivum) in soils from different uses., BE.EP.DR

Abstract

An unrestrained exploratory use of soil can lead the production system to fall into collapse. Management practices capable of recovering these environments are being adopted, e.g., the Integrated Agricultural Systems (IASs). Albeit, only a few studies have been developed in order to understand the mechanisms underlying soil recovery under IASs, even less the microbiological processes involved in it. Management intensification from degraded areas to IASs can create gradients of microbial diversity in the soil, which might influence the choices for biological inputs, such as microbial inoculants, in the crop production. The microbial inoculation in this management can be seen as a higher level of intensification of this system. In this study, we propose to study the soil microbial community under IASs, following three approaches: a systematic literature review (study I); an in situ characterization of soils under IASs from degraded pastures (study II); and, by using the concept of 'microbial invasion', a greenhouse experiment to determine the effects of microbial diversity on the establishment and survival of the inoculants (study III). For study II, three sampling sites distributed among the Pampa, the Cerrado, and the Atlantic Forest biomes with different land use (i.e., degraded pasture, IASs, and native forest) will be selected. Based on the obtained results, the area presenting the greatest gradient of microbial diversity between land use will be selected for study III. For this, the inoculation and co-inoculation of Azospirillum brasilense and Rhizophagus clarus will be tested. Molecular approaches will be used for the robust characterization of the microbial community, in addition to the survival, and interactions established between inoculants and resident microbiota. All considered, the project aims to contribute to the characterization of biological resources in IASs, encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices in agriculture.