Project description
Unlocking soil microbes to boost sustainable agriculture
Rising agricultural demands call for more sustainable practices. While bacterial communities are essential for soil health, their diversity and functions remain poorly understood. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MicroplIS project will identify mobile genetic elements (MGEs), particularly insertion sequence elements (ISs), that influence bacteria-plant interactions in the rhizosphere. The project hypothesises that beneficial plant traits are linked to these MGEs. Identifying them could help enhance ecosystem services such as biofertilisation and biostimulation. The project will also investigate how these traits respond to climate change, using a growth chamber with varying drought and wet conditions. The findings aim to optimise ecosystem services under changing environmental conditions.
Objective
Higher demands for increased agricultural production will arise in the future to secure the food supply for an expanding world population. Sustainable agricultural approaches are urgently needed to meet this demand today as well as in future. It is well known that bacterial communities contribute to the ecosystem functions of soil; however, very little is known about the composition and diversity of those communities. One important factor for bacterial adaptation is the horizontal transfer of genetic material. MicroplIS aims to identify mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that are important for bacteria-plant interactions with special regard to insertion sequence elements (ISs). The rhizosphere of plants is a hotspot for horizontal gene transfer and some of the MGEs might carry plant beneficial traits. Therefore, I hypothesize that plant beneficial traits can be found associated with MGEs in the rhizosphere. Identifying these elements will help to harness their contribution to ecosystem services like biofertilization (siderophore release, inorganic phosphate solubilization) and biostimulation (auxin production, VOC release, ACC-deaminase activity, EPS production). Furthermore, the identified traits will be linked to climate change influences in a growth chamber experiment with changing drought and wet conditions. Through this approach it will be possible to link the prevalence of plasmids and ISs with extreme weather events. In conclusion, the findings from MicroplIS will contribute to optimizing ecosystem services to effectively address shifting environmental conditions.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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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-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.
3000 Leuven
Belgium
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.