Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FreezingBioprotector (Understanding the role of microbiome interactions in the freezing stress tolerance of plants)
Période du rapport: 2021-08-01 au 2023-07-31
FreezingBioprotector project aims to taxonomically and functionally characterize the endophytic bacterial communities associated with wild alpine Rosaceae plants, to develop new microbial-based products for freezing protection of apple.
The overall objectives of this project that were each addressed by a work package (WP) are (i) characterising the bacterial communities associated with Dryas octopetala anthosphere and identifying potential bacteria for freezing protection (WP1) (ii) identifying novel bacterial strains by a rapid-throughput screening for their ice-active traits and environmental stress tolerance (WP2) and (iii) identifying bacterial strains with freezing protection abilities on strawberry and feasibility checking of industrial production (WP3).
The rapid-throughput screening allowed the selection of 97 bacterial isolates as representative psychrotolerant bacterial endophytes and used for the subsequent functional characterization to assess their freezing protection ability on strawberry seedlings and micropropagated apple plantlets. Results showed that most bacterial endophytes could reduce electrolyte leakage in strawberry seedlings with the best stress protection level from isolates belonging to the core taxa. Moreover, leaf spray inoculation with some isolates reduced freezing damage on potted apple plants.
FreezingBioprotector has generated a review article (https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiab161) and three peer-reviewed publications will be available in the next few months. Results obtained with this project have been disseminated in ten national and/or international conferences and seminars, and communications by the website (https://www.centro3a.UNITN.it/en/1001/freezing-bioprotector) Twitter (https://twitter.com/FBioprotector) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/malek-marian-ph-d-64683b15a/) and ResearchGate (https://www.researchgate.net/lab/Michele-Perazzolli-Lab). Results have also been communicated to the public by a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH_SExhNv_Q) and in non-scientific events (e.g. European Researchers' Night).