Challenges in Soil Health of the Cerrado: Impact of Agricultural Management on the Presence of Potentially Toxic Elements and Antibiotic Resistance Genes

• Grant number: 24/20218-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences
• Principal Investigator: Jussara Borges Regitano
• Grantee: Francielle Medeiros Costa
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The One Health concept emphasizes the interdependence between human health, ecosystem health, and animal health, recognizing the importance of soil, plants, and animals in this interconnection. Soil acts as a sink for contaminants, including potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and antibiotics, creating a favorable environment for the persistence of these compounds and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Both antibiotics and PTEs can impose selective pressure on the proliferation of ARGs.In the Rio Verdinho Watershed in Goiás, a region of economic and agricultural significance, there is evidence of PTE contamination due to intensive agricultural and livestock activities. Investigating these issues is essential to promote environmental quality and preserve human health. However, there is a lack of studies addressing important aspects, such as: (i) the extent and levels of PTE contamination, assessing whether the situation is alarming and requires mitigation; (ii) the presence of ARGs as a result of animal manure application and PTE contamination, considering the tropical soil and climate conditions; and (iii) how PTEs and soil physicochemical attributes affect bacterial communities and the resistome in Cerrado soils under different management practices.