WP Number 1. Months 1-36
WP Title: Microbial tool-box to create optimal conditions for promoting crop growth under adverse conditions
Lead Beneficiary: ENEA
Objectives.
The application of microbial inoculants in soil (bioaugmentation) has been addressed in previous project both in agronomy and in the environment. The open question in this regard is rather what is the right bioaugmentation strategy, namely how to find the right way to provide the competent microbes in sufficient numbers to achieve a goal. The use of tailor-made consortia, functionally linking the indigenous microbial community with the chemical characteristics of the native soil and the needs of the target plant species, proves to be a successful strategy towards a rational selection of stable and reliable inocula11-12. Biodiversity at the soil level is thus a key issue to create optimal condition for crop growth. To this reason, the native microbiome will be investigated either to be exploited in the target soils or to create compatible allochthons inocula. The experience gained at national and European level in the context of biodiversity, agriculture and bioremediation is usefully transposable to the achievement of the objectives of the project “SUPREME”.
The potential of the native microbiome to stabilize soil and promote plant growth under adverse conditions will be explored and exploited in WP1. On the basis of the already established microbial consortia deriving from UMBRELLA and BIODESERT PF7 projects, an ecology-based bioaugmentation strategy will be implemented to provide a microbial tool-box for crop-specific applications The research will combine various expertise of standard microbiology for the isolation, identification, characterization and production of PGPR-PGPF microorganisms, functional metagenomic and metabolic high throughput techniques. A close collaboration and exchange of protocols and samples between the WP partners allows the harmonization of the methods. The output of WP1 will be provided for the following WPs, especially for WP2 where the efficiency of selected consortia and conditions on growth promotion of several plant crops will be evaluated in both pot/microcosms experiments and field trials
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WP Number 2. Months 1 – 36
WP Title: Experiments, Characterization and Monitoring
WP leader: ARI
Objectives.
This work package is aimed to measure the benefit from the addition of selected inocula. Water need and crop growth with and without addition of inocula will be measured. According to previously established protocols evolution mineral soil and chemistry will be assessed in order to predict sustainability over long term (UMBRELLA, UE grant 226870;13, 14)
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WP Number 3. Months 1 – 36
WP: Web based observation system
WP leader: CRS4
Objectives
WP3 aims to setting up a web-based support tool based on the SWAT model to provide stakeholders and public end-users with a predictive and diagnostic assessment (e.g. crop growth cycles, water consumed for optimal crop growth, variation of water content in the soil layer) of each agricultural unit set up during the project. Results and data gathered during the project will be then exposed in an interactive web application that will constitute the main gateway for the analysis of the different test sites.
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WP Number 4. Months 1 – 36
WP Title: Dissemination
Lead Beneficiary: GOG
Objectives
Communication with scientific community, stakeholder and end users. Scientific publications and teaching activities.
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WP Number 5. Months 1 – 36
WP Title: Management
Lead Beneficiary: UNICA
Objectives
Organizing meetings; control of achievement of project objectives; reporting to UE; risk management; ensure communication flow among the project partners