Understanding the effect of a lignin-derived crop yield stimulator on the corn microbiome

了解木质素作物产量刺激剂对玉米微生物组的影响

• 批准号: 522731-2018
• 负责人: Raizada, Manish
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of Guelph
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Engage Grants Program
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=662920
• 关键词: Understanding; effect; lignin; derived; crop

Retrievall Inc, a Canadian startup company, currently processes a tree lignin derived waste product from the**pulp/paper industry as products for farmers, sold through their distributor, LIGNITION Corp. They are coated**onto crop seeds and as leaf sprays and boost crop yields (e.g. in corn). Hence the products represent win-win**climate change technologies as they utilize a carbon waste source that would otherwise be burned to release**CO2, but instead they boost crop biomass for greater carbon sequestration. The products are already applied**onto ~1 million acres in North America. However, the company wishes to understand the mechanism by which**these products boost crop yields, which will assist in obtaining future research grants. Furthermore, the**mechanism of action would help with marketing, expand sales and Canadian jobs, by revealing the underlying**biological process. A preliminary report suggested that the product increases populations of Gram+/- bacteria**in the rhizosphere (soil attached to the root). The latter observation is noteworthy, because ag-biotech is**investing billions to promote beneficial microbes in crops. Plant phenolic compounds (same class as lignin) are**well known signaling molecules that attract and stimulate microbes. Hence, the problem to be solved by this**proposal is whether/how the lignin-derived compounds promote targeted microbial diversity. Here, a team of**researchers at the University of Guelph propose to examine the effects of the products on corn's underground**microbiome (external soil rhizosphere and internal root endophytes) and leaf microbiome (surface epiphytes**and internal leaf endophytes). We will bring multi-parallel miseq DNA sequencing technology to the problem**for the first time, to characterize every bacterium in the community. In parallel, we will independently validate**impacts on crop yield and physiology. If indeed the products are boosting microbial diversity, this information**will bring value to the products as they can be marketed as a microbial stimulators or adjuvants. Further**research may allow the company to optimize the products to target specific beneficial microbes and improve**the field effectiveness of commercial microbial inoculants.

Retrieval Inc 是一家加拿大初创公司，目前将来自**纸浆/造纸行业的木质素废料产品加工为农民的产品，并通过其经销商 LIGNITION Corp 进行销售。它们被涂在**农作物种子上并作为叶面喷雾剂和提高作物产量（例如玉米）。因此，这些产品代表了双赢**气候变化技术，因为它们利用了碳废物源，否则这些碳废物源将被燃烧以释放**二氧化碳，但它们却增加了作物生物量以实现更大的碳固存。该产品已应用于北美约 100 万英亩土地**。然而，该公司希望了解**这些产品提高作物产量的机制，这将有助于获得未来的研究资助。此外，通过揭示潜在的生物过程，**作用机制将有助于营销、扩大销售和加拿大就业。初步报告表明，该产品增加了根际（附着在根部的土壤）中革兰氏+/-细菌**的数量。后一个观察值得注意，因为农业生物技术正在投资数十亿美元来促进农作物中的有益微生物。植物酚类化合物（与木质素同一类）是众所周知的吸引和刺激微生物的信号分子。因此，该**提案要解决的问题是木质素衍生化合物是否/如何促进目标微生物多样性。在这里，圭尔夫大学的一组**研究人员提议研究这些产品对玉米地下**微生物群（外部土壤根际和内部根内生菌）和叶子微生物群（表面附生植物**和内部叶子内生菌）的影响。我们将首次采用多并行 Miseq DNA 测序技术来解决该问题**，以表征群落中的每种细菌。与此同时，我们将独立验证**对作物产量和生理的影响。如果这些产品确实促进了微生物多样性，那么这些信息**将为产品带来价值，因为它们可以作为微生物刺激剂或佐剂进行销售。进一步的研究可能使公司能够优化产品以针对特定的有益微生物，并提高商业微生物接种剂的现场有效性。