4D AGRO-GENO-METABOLOMICS: INTEGRATION OF MULTISPECTRAL DRONES AND OMIC TOOLS (METAGENOMICS, GENOMICS, METABOLOMICS) TO EVALUATE SOIL HEALTH AND PHYTOPATHOGENIC FUNGI IN ORGANIC SYSTEMS OF THEOBROMA CACAO L. IN ECUADOR

COCOA (THEOBROMA CACAO L.) IS AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT FRUIT SPECIES IN ECUADOR, REACHING A CULTIVATION AREA OF 612,453 HECTARES (INEC). CURRENTLY, ECUADOR HAS POSITIONED ITSELF AS ONE OF THE LARGEST PRODUCERS OF FINE AROMA COCOA WORLDWIDE, WITH EXPORTS THAT EXCEEDED USD 3.63 BILLION IN 2024 (ANECACAO). IN ORGANIC SYSTEMS, THE SUSTAINABILITY OF PRODUCTION DEPENDS LARGELY ON THE HEALTH OF THE SOIL AND PHYTOSANITARY MANAGEMENT. HOWEVER, STUDIES THAT INTEGRATE THE STATE OF THE SOIL, MICROBIAL DIVERSITY AND THE CHARACTERIZATION OF PATHOGENIC FUNGI IN ORGANIC COCOA ARE STILL LITTLE, LIMITING THE DEVELOPMENT OF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. THE GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO EVALUATE SOIL HEALTH AND CHARACTERIZE PHYTOPATHOGENOUS FUNGI IN COCOA ORGANIC SYSTEMS THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH CALLED 4D AGRO-GENO-METABOLOMICS. THIS APPROACH INTEGRATES MULTISPECTRAL DRONES TO OBTAIN VEGETATION INDICES AND CORRELATE THEM WITH SOIL MICROBIAL DIVERSITY INDICES OBTAINED THROUGH METAGENOMICS IN TWO LOCATIONS IN ECUADOR. IN ADDITION, THE GENOMIC COMPONENT PROPOSES THE SEQUENCING, ASSEMBLY AND ANNOTATION OF THE GENOME OF PATHOGENIC FUNGI ISOLATED IN COCOA CROPS, WHICH WILL ALLOW THE IDENTIFICATION OF VIRULENCE GENES AND UNDERSTANDING MECHANISMS OF PATHOGENICITY. IN PARALLEL, THE METABOLOGICAL COMPONENT ADDRESSES THE CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF METABOLITES PRODUCED BY PHYTOPATHOGENIC FUNGI ISOLATED FROM COCOA. THE MAIN CONTRIBUTION OF THIS PROPOSAL WILL BE TO GENERATE PREDICTIVE DATA ON SOIL HEALTH AND ITS PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL RISK THAT INTEGRATES SPECTRAL, METAGENOMIC, GENOMIC AND METABOLOGICAL INFORMATION, ALLOWING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT TOOLS IN ORGANIC COCOA SYSTEMS IN ECUADOR.

XXII UNIVERSITY COMPETITION FOR POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH PROJECTS 2026