Bio-based solutions, such as Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR), are a sustainable agriculture practice to promote crop yield under increasing stress conditions caused by Climate change (CC). The Joint Lab project between Italy and Pakistan will assess the effects of PGPR strains selected from arid environments on the performance of model plants (i.e. wheat, pea and Arundo) subjected to water deficit also in interaction with [CO2] enrichment. Physiological, biochemical and molecular analyses will evaluate plant responses to CC-driven stress during PGPR colonization. Soil metagenomics will verify the impact on soil microbiota. Integrated data from complementary approaches will elucidate the dynamics of PGPR, also in interaction with mycorrhizae, in crops. This project will strengthen links between the Institutions of Countries heavily affected by CC, conducting mutually beneficial research with wide ranging applications in mitigating negative impacts of CC on agriculture.
Project leader: Mauro Centritto
IPSP personnel: Cecilia Brunetti, Matthew Haworth, Giovanni Marino, Aida Raio, Fabiano Sillo, Elisa Zampieri, Martino Schillaci.
Start: 01/01/2021
End: 31/12/2023