CORDIS - Forschungsergebnisse der EU
CORDIS

The origin, distribution, and dissemination of the apple microbiome

Projektbeschreibung

Das Mikrobiom als Schlüssel zu einer gesunden Landwirtschaft

Weltweit sind Schädlinge und Mikroorganismen für etwa ein Drittel der Verluste in der Pflanzenproduktion verantwortlich. Deshalb sind umweltfreundliche Lösungen dringend erforderlich. Für die natürliche und sichere Entwicklung gesunder Pflanzen kann das Mikrobiom einer Pflanze eine große Rolle spielen. Im Rahmen des EU-finanzierten Projekts Apple-Biome werden die Funktion und das Verhalten der in Äpfeln vorhandenen Mikrobiome untersucht. Mithilfe fortgeschrittener, multidisziplinär angelegter Verfahren wird man Methoden ermitteln, wie sie auf sichere und wirksame Weise in der globalen landwirtschaftlichen Erzeugung zum Einsatz kommen können. Die Ergebnisse des Projekts werden für die Gewährleistung der Ernährungssicherheit in der Zukunft von Nutzen sein.

Ziel

The success of any agricultural system and sustainable production depends on the health of its plants. Pests and pathogens
are responsible for the loss of almost one-third of the global crop production. However, microorganisms found in and on
plants are not always the cause of disease. Instead, the naturally occurring microbial communities, the plant’s microbiome,
play an essential role in the development of healthy plants. This project is based on a hypothesis-driven approach to address
fundamental questions about the plant microbiome such as What is the source of a plant’s microbiome? What are the
pathways of inheritance and acquisition? How does the microbiome move, disseminate, and enter a new host? Apple was
selected as a plant model; a fruit that has been a principal component of a healthy diet, and played a major role in human
evolution and survival. The proposed methodology employs cutting-edge and multidisciplinary techniques such as
metagenomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics, among others. Results of this project will help to understand the
microbiome’s life cycle, associate microbes with specific organs and tissues, and identify microbial species that define a
healthy host with healthy organs and offspring. From there, it will be easy to determine changes, understand disease and
disorders, and find ways to correct unbalanced microbiomes. Identifying how the microbes are acquired and to which organs
and tissues they are associated with, will help in understanding the optimal methods to introduce microbial species to the
host. While the proposed approaches are novel, once the validity of the hypotheses is proven, they will serve as a foundation
for future microbiome studies. These studies will drive the development and implementation of safe, environmentally-friendly
strategies for global agriculture production. These innovations in the management of plant health have myriad positive and
far-reaching implications for environmental and human health.

Koordinator

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET GRAZ
Netto-EU-Beitrag
€ 174 167,04
Adresse
RECHBAUERSTRASSE 12
8010 Graz
Österreich

Auf der Karte ansehen

Region
Südösterreich Steiermark Graz
Aktivitätstyp
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Gesamtkosten
€ 174 167,04