Prospecting biotechnological solutions for ecological restoration: cultivation and genetic characterization of key microorganisms from the Amazonian dark earths

• Grant number: 23/09761-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• End date: November 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Tsai Siu Mui
• Grantee: Anderson Santos de Freitas
• Supervisor: Alexandre Soares Rosado
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/10626-0 - Application of the feedback model in the recovery of degraded soils of pastures in the Central Amazon, BP.DR

Abstract

The study of biodiversity offers a wealth of biotechnological solutions for improving biological processes. The diversity of microorganisms in different environments can provide valuable molecules and organisms that can lead to the development of processes and practices. The Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs), highly fertile soil formations in the Amazon basin enriched by pre-Columbian populations, possess unique microbial communities with biotechnological potential. This project's purpose is to characterize the microbial community from the ADEs by using both culture-dependent and culture-free methods to provide microorganisms, metabolisms, and gene collection with potential biotechnological uses. It will be isolated growth-promoting bacteria (e.g., acc-deaminase producers, sporulated Bacilli, diazotrophic bacteria), and extremophiles in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. For that, it will be used the background of a research group from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kindom of Saudi Arabia), which possesses robust equipment to attend to the specifical needs for the cultivation of these microorganisms in controlled environments. The isolated microorganisms will be sequenced and biochemically analyzed to provide a database for biotechnological applications for the ADE's microorganisms. (AU)