Project description
Microbial biocontrol solutions and resistance in plants
Biological control is an effective and sustainable alternative to conventional pesticides for managing plant diseases. Biocontrol bacteria produce antimicrobial compounds but it’s uncertain if pathogens can develop resistance. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RhizoEvo project will investigate tomato plant pathogen resistance using specific biocontrol bacteria. Researchers will develop a system for tracking bacterial adaptations across successive plant generations, combining various microbiological, genomics and metabolomics analyses. Project findings will provide fundamental insight into the long-term impact of biocontrol, assessing the risks of pathogen resistance and enhancing knowledge of microbial evolution in agriculture.
Objective
Microbe-mediated plant pathogen biocontrol has been suggested as an environmentally friendly alternative for agrochemicals to increase global food production. While biocontrol bacteria have been shown to suppress the growth of plant pathogenic bacteria via the production of antimicrobials, it remains unclear whether pathogens can escape this by evolving resistance. The main aim of this proposal is to experimentally test whether plant pathogenic Ralstonia solanacearum bacterium can evolve resistant to Pseudomonas protegens biocontrol bacterium in the tomato plant rhizosphere. I will also test if pathogen resistance evolution results in co-evolution and increased antimicrobial activity of the biocontrol bacterium, and if microbial adaptations will affect how both bacteria interact with the tomato plant, potentially shifting plant-microbe interactions along the parasitism-mutualism continuum (virulence vs. plant growth-promotion). To achieve this, I will learn to use a novel experimental-evolution system that allows direct tracking of bacterial adaptation in the rhizosphere of tomatoes over successive plant generations. Training will also be provided to quantify bacterial adaptation using a combination of microbiological assays, genomics, metabolomics and plant assays. The proposed work will help to assess the potential risks of plant pathogen resistance evolution for the long-term efficiency of microbe-mediated biocontrol. It will also improve fundamental understanding of the rapid microbial evolution in an agriculturally relevant model system and help identify potentially novel antimicrobial compounds for future crop protection.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
00014 HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Finland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.