Interplay between microbiome, soil organic carbon stabilization, and bio-inputs use in Brazilian biomes

• Grant number: 24/08875-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: February 29, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Dini Andreote
• Grantee: Rafael Santana Mendonça
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). 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 multifunctionality of soil provides various ecosystem services, including climate regulation through atmospheric carbon sequestration, which is essential for mitigating climate change. However, the extent and efficiency of this sequestration and its subsequent stabilization vary according to biome and soil management, mediated by the activity of its microbiome. In turn, the soil microbiome promotes benefits that extend beyond direct involvement in biogeochemical cycles, as even after the death of microorganisms, their residues (microbial necromass) can contribute to soil organic matter stabilization. To date, there are no reports on the contribution of necromass carbon to the capacity of Brazilian biomes' soil to form and store organic carbon under different land use scenarios. Additionally, Brazil's leadership in the use of bio-inputs highlights another promising function: the use of soil as a source of genetic resources. However, the relationship between the use of bio-inputs and the stabilization of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) by the microbial necromass of added microorganisms constitutes an unexplored frontier. Therefore, this project aims to evaluate the participation of living and dead microbiomes in SOC dynamics in three Brazilian biomes under five land use forms. Molecular, isotopic, chromatographic, elemental, and physical and chemical soil analyses will be employed. The results of this study may reveal innovative insights into the contribution of necromass carbon to the stabilization of carbon in tropical soils and its potential manipulation through the use of bio-inputs, aiding in addressing the challenge of mitigating climate change and making agriculture more sustainable.