Project description
Unfolding the potential of microbiomes for sustainable agriculture
The impact of diseases and climate change on agriculture leads to yields reduction. At the same time, current agricultural practices like heavy use of fertilisers and pesticides often intensify the issue. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MicroTRIAS project will contribute to understanding and employing the hidden potential of plant microbiomes to enhance productivity and sustainability in the agricultural sector. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, the project aims to stimulate compositional shifts in plant-associated microbiomes towards beneficial functions, thereby maximising their potential to protect crops from diseases and other environmental stresses, like drought or salinity. Ultimately, the project will render a foundation towards microbiome-based, sustainable solutions in agriculture.
Objective
A major challenge for mankind in the age of climate change is to feed the increasing human population in a sustainable manner. Currently, more than one third of crop yields are lost due to abiotic and biotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, pests and diseases. To minimize this yield gap and to simultaneously reduce the environmental impact of current agricultural practices, future crop production needs to be achieved with reduced input of fertilizers and pesticides. These challenges have increased the awareness of plant microbiomes bearing a hidden untapped potential for crop productivity and resilience that we must learn to use. Recently, more and more microbial products are tested in agriculture but often they are based on one or a few bacteria inoculants. However, the performance and efficacy of these products can be affected by many factors such as, soil type, temperature, humidity and the composition of the native microbiomes. The aim of the microTRIAS project is to unfold the potential of microbiomes by steering the native soil microbial communities towards plant-growth promoting and (a)biotic stress alleviating functions. To achieve this goal, I propose an innovative and ambitious multi-disciplinary approach based on the hypothesis that we can stimulate and train functional and taxonomic shifts in microbiomes on demand to remodel and improve existing communities, rather than introducing new elements in a native ecosystem. Additionally, by monitoring the microbiome changes, using beyond the state of art (multi)omics technologies, I will be able to identify microbes and functions fundamental to desirable microbiome traits. This study will suppose the first proof of concept of this novel integrative approach, opening new avenues for microbiome applications in agricultural settings. The findings of this study will be beneficial for improving agriculture sustainability but also will raise societal climate change awareness on the local and global scale.
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 microbiology bacteriology
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics productivity
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- 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.
29016 MALAGA
Spain
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.