Description du projet
Le microbiome essentiel pour une agriculture saine
Les ravageurs et les micro-organismes sont responsables d’environ un tiers des pertes de production agricole dans le monde, et des solutions écologiques sont attendues d’urgence. Naturel et sûr, le microbiome d’une plante peut jouer un rôle important dans le développement de plantes saines. Le projet Apple-Biome, financé par l’UE, effectuera des recherches sur le rôle et le comportement des microbiomes présents dans les pommes. Grâce à des techniques pluridisciplinaires avancées, il identifiera les techniques pour leur utilisation sûre et efficace dans la production agricole mondiale. Les résultats du projet permettront de garantir la sécurité alimentaire de demain.
Objectif
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.
Champ scientifique
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagricultureagronomyplant protection
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturefruit growing
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesnutrition
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiology
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinateur
8010 Graz
Autriche