SOIL MICROBIAL DIVERSITY IN AMAZONIAN AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF EUTERPE OLERACEA MART.

• Grant number: 25/07067-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Lucas William Mendes
• Grantee: Izadora de Cássia Mesquita da Cunha
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10573-4 - Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture (CCARBON), AP.CEPID

Abstract

The Amazon, despite its high biodiversity, is under pressure from the exploitation of its natural resources.In this context, Agroforestry Systems (AFS) emerge as a sustainable alternative, with special emphasis on the cultivation of açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.), a species of high commercial value. Since plants rely on microbial interactions for growth, protection, and nutrition, AFS-with their rich floristic diversity-host complex and functional rhizospheric microbial communities. Understanding this microbiota is essential to optimize plant productivity and health in these systems.This project investigates the potential of soil microbiomes in agroforestry systems to promote agricultural sustainability in tropical ecosystems. The conversion of forests into agricultural areas, often through slash-and-burn practices, leads to soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and carbon emissions. AFS offer a viable alternative for the recovery of these areas by promoting nutrient cycling, organic matter accumulation, and increased microbial biodiversity.In this context, the objective of this study is to evaluate the taxonomic and functional composition and diversity of microbial communities present in AFS soils through amplicon sequencing and metagenomic techniques. Considering that interactions between plants and rhizospheric microorganisms are essential for soil health and plant growth, the project also aims to correlate the structure of the rhizosphere microbiome with plant performance, identifying microorganisms with growth-promoting potential.In addition, the project will analyze soil carbon dynamics in relation to microbial activity and soil health indicators, including enzymatic activity, Biolog assays, and metagenomics. Using açaí seedlings as a model plant in mesocosm experiments, we aim to understand how agroforestry practices modulate the rhizospheric microbiota and impact the sustainability of tropical production systems.Thus, the integrated use of genomic tools, enzymatic analyses, and microbial activity assessments will allow for the identification of key microorganisms for soil health and plant development, providing a basis for sustainable management technologies grounded in the Amazonian soil biodiversity. (AU)