Functional enrichment of microbial communities of Austro-Fruticultural Horticultural Crops: Design, establishment and effects on plant performance

The microorganisms that inhabit agricultural soils mediate processes that contribute to the development of crops. However, under natural conditions, these processes are not always developed optimally or predictably, limiting the reliable application of such microorganisms in commercial production systems. Even so, the enrichment of microbial communities of agricultural soils represents a strategy that allows the beneficial effects of certain groups of microorganisms on crops. Unfortunately, the survival and functionality relations of microorganisms introduced depend on the complex microorganism-culture-environment interaction, so these enrichment processes must be designed in a particular way for each environment and culture in which its use is projected. In this project we propose to characterize the response of the microbiota of the soil and crop crops typical typical of the austro against the enrichment of the enrichment of the enrichment of the enrichment of the microbiota Native Edaphic with functional microbial consortiums designed ad hoc. First, we will design these consortiums combining isolated native microorganisms from Austro agroecosystems and commercial strains; Then, we will evaluate its compatibility and validate its beneficial effects on plant development under controlled conditions. Subsequently, we will characterize the establishment and stability process of these consortiums under typical Austro cultivation using molecular techniques of microbial diversity analysis. In parallel, we will characterize two typical Austro crops developed on soils enriched with these consortiums. Our results will improve the understanding of microorganism-environment-cultural interactions under typical Austro conditions and will base the design of sustainable intensification strategies based on the microbial activity of soil.

15th UNIVERSITY RESEARCH COMPETITION