Project description
Making sure native soil microbes are not adversely affected by fungal fertilisers
The use of microorganisms from nature to combat agricultural pests and provide essential nutrients for growth is an important way to reduce the use of harsher chemical pesticides and fertilisers. However, while it is known that introducing non-native species affects ecosystems on a macroscale, the effect of these microorganisms on the endemic microbial species and local community functions in soil has not been studied in depth. The EU-funded ALIENinSoil project is investigating the effects of a fungus, widely used as biofertiliser, on microbial communities in a model soil system. Utilising Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing, which enables the direct, real-time analysis of long DNA fragments, the team will evaluate if the presence of this foreign fungus affects the growth and functioning of the native microorganisms.
Objective
Fungi and bacteria are utilised for the production of microbial-based fertilisers and pesticides worldwide. These bioinoculants have a huge potential in agriculture because they can help to increase crop yields and quality and allow a reduction in the application of chemicals. While the effectiveness of bio-inoculants as bio fertilisers or biopesticides is widely tested for crop yield and pathogens control, little is known about the effect of bioinoculants on microbial assemblages in the non-rhizospheric soil of agroecosystems. A sudden artificial introduction of a fungal species in soil could create a substantial impact on the biodiversity of endemic microbial species and local community functions, as well as lead to changes in the food webs and nutrients availability. ALIENinSoil will, therefore, assess the impact of a fungal inoculum, the globally-used biofertiliser Trichoderma afroharzianum T22, on microbial assemblages of a model soil system. The project will apply an innovative rapid metagenomic approach based on long-read Oxford Nanopore Technology to assess the effects of the fungal inoculum on soil microbial communities and functions in a laboratory-based microcosms experiment. Thus, this project will use innovative and cutting-edge techniques to understand 1) to what extent the native microbial community richness and relative abundance is influenced by a competitive fungal strain introduced to soil; 2) whether or not the keystone microbial taxa are resilient to the disturbance by the introduced fungus 3) how far the bioinoculant impacts the functions of soil microorganisms. With this action, I want to acquire new in-depth knowledge necessary to stimulate innovation in the field of soil bioinoculants and agriculture by way of competitive technology transfer. Oxford Nanopore sequencing has great potential to be used for real-time diagnostics in agricultural surveys and the development of indicators for monitoring soil biodiversity and functionality.
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
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- 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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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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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.
SW7 5BD London
United Kingdom
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.