Institut für Epidemiologie und Pathogendiagnostik
The goal of the project is to provide insights into the performance of inocula in different soils, crops and agricultural cultivation practices. Stepwise analysis and evaluation of potential bioinocula from in silico to in vitro to greenhouse and field will allow identification of highly efficient and robust bacterial strains to promote plant growth and mitigate drought stress. Thus, they can serve as candidates for new commercial products. Isolates from the rhizosphere of various crops obtained in a previous project from long-term trials in Uruguay will be used. In silico testing and further phenotypic characterization of these isolates will be performed to select promising strains as inocula. The next step will be to evaluate their potential when inoculated either alone or in combination with other isolates (synthetic community: Syncom) to strengthen crop and soil health. These in vivo trials will first be conducted in the greenhouse under controlled conditions. The greenhouse trial conducted at JKI will test whether the efficiency of the inocula depends on soil properties and to what extent the natural microbial community in the soil/rhizosphere is altered by inoculation. The two best inocula/syncoms will be selected for a second greenhouse trial at INIA using soils from the respective long-term field trials. This will allow testing whether long-term agricultural practices affect the efficiency of the inocula/syncoms. These findings will help improve the efficiency and robustness of inocula in the future. In addition, as global climate change in Uruguay is expected to increase water shortages due to prolonged dry periods, we will investigate whether inocula can mitigate abiotic stress and improve crop performance. Oats and tomato will be used as model plants for the greenhouse trials. The best inoculum from all greenhouse trials will be used for inoculation in the field. Sampling of the soil and rhizosphere of the succeeding crop grown on the inoculated plots will help to understand the long-term effects of inoculation on soil health and crop performance. The results of this research will contribute to improve long-term soil health and reduce the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, as well as address abiotic stresses caused by climate change.
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
