Modulation and characterization of a phyllosphere suppressive to myrtle rust(Austropuccinia psidii) in eucalyptus

• Grant number: 24/16205-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Thaís Regina Boufleur
• Grantee: Lisanna Evelyn da Silva
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/05484-0 - Suppressive phyllosphere in eucalyptus: sustainable innnovation for the management of myrtle rust, AP.R

Abstract

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.) is native to Oceania, but Brazil is one of the world's largest producers, with a productive area of 7.6 million hectares dedicated to the production of wood derivatives. Extensive cultivation outside its center of origin promotes the adaptation of fungal pathogens, notably Austropuccinia psidii, the causal agent of myrtle rust, the main pathogen of the crop and a threat to other native forest species. In commercial fields, disease management is carried out through the use of resistant clones and chemical products. However, there is a growing demand for alternative strategies for plant disease control. The plant microbiome is a promising long term solution; however, it is still necessary to explore and characterize microbial communities present in the soil or phyllosphere that are capable of suppressing diseases. In this context, the present project aims to (i) modulate a suppressive phyllosphere in two eucalyptus species using the naturally occurring microbiome from cultivation fields under the selective pressure of different A. psidii isolates to reduce rust severity; (ii) characterize the changes in the phyllosphere microbial community developed in (i) over time; and (iii) determine whether similarities exist between the phyllosphere microbiomes identified in (ii) in the search for a core microbiome. It is expected that successive passages of the microbiome will lead to the modulation of a microbial community suppressive to the pathogen A. psidii in eucalyptus. The microbiome present in the cultivation field and the pathogen-suppressive community are expected to be characterized and quantified.