Project description
Beneficial soil microbes protect crops from root-infecting nematodes
Root-knot nematodes are small parasitic worms that pose a serious threat to global food security by damaging a wide range of crops, including tomatoes. Current control strategies have serious limitations and are often environmentally harmful. Beneficial soil microbes offer a promising alternative, as they can prime plant immune systems to resist nematode attacks. This phenomenon is known as microbe-induced plant resistance. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MIR2RKN project is investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying the microbes' protective effect using tomato plants. In this context, researchers will employ multi-omics approaches, computational biology and semi-field experiments. Project results will generate important fundamental knowledge and pave the way towards the development of sustainable crop protection strategies against root-knot nematodes.
Objective
Root knot nematodes (RKNs) represent a major problem for global food security. Current control strategies of RKN have critical limitations. Beneficial root-associated microbes, like rhizobacteria, can enhance the plant immune systems, boosting resistance to a broad spectrum of attackers, including RKNs. This phenomenon, known as Microbe-Induced plant Resistance (MIR), has emerged as a promising biotechnological tool for a sustainable RKN control. However, there are still important challenges in the implementation of MIR-based products in RKN protection programs. We are just starting to uncover molecular mechanisms underlying MIR’s effectiveness to RKN, which have complex, long-term relationship with plants, including well-differentiated infection stages. The main aim of MIR2RNK is to contribute to elucidating molecular mechanisms that regulate MIR functioning to RKN in tomato. MIR2RKN will use a multidisciplinary approach combining multi-omics high-throughput techniques, computational biology, functional genomics, and mesocosm experiments to achieve three main objectives: (1) To evaluate the impact of rhizobacteria on tomato resistance to RKN throughout the infection cycle, and validate the economic viability of these findings under close-to-real field conditions; (2) To uncover key molecular traits of the tomato plant immune system that regulate rhizobacteria-MIR to RKNs across the infection cycle, and (3) To decipher the specific role of tomato polyamine metabolism in rhizobacteria-MIR to RKNs throughout the RKN’s infection cycle. MIR2RKN will enhance our understanding of how MIR is regulated during the dynamic infection cycle of RKNs. This knowledge on how MIR functions, will contribute to developing sustainable crop protection strategies against RKNs. Moreover, MIR2RKN will strongly benefit the applicant, as he will gain independence in research, wider visibility, and will be trained on fundamental skills for proceeding in the next step of his scientific path.
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
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture agronomy plant protection
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
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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)
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Topic(s)
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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
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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
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-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.
28006 Madrid
Spain
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