Evaluation of Soybean-Associated Bacteria for Their Ability to Induce Systemic Resistance in Plants

Abstract

Soybean (Glycine max (L.)) stands out as one of the most important crops in global agriculture, with Brazil being the main producer of this commodity. However, soybean is heavily affected by various pests and diseases, particularly those caused by phytopathogenic fungi. Currently, disease management is predominantly carried out through the use of chemical fungicides, which are costly and can be harmful to human health and the environment if misused.As an alternative, recent years have seen an increase in research focused on the interactions between plants, pathogens, and microbiomes, with the aim of finding naturally occurring biocontrol agents associated with plants that can combat diseases more sustainably. However, the effective application of biocontrol strategies and the manipulation or engineering of microbiomes in an agricultural context depend on a deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing plant interactions with the microbial communities associated with them.In our laboratory, we study the plant immune system and its interactions with microorganisms, whether pathogenic or not. In this context, this project aims to evaluate a collection of bacteria isolated from soybeans for their ability to induce a form of plant immunity known as induced systemic resistance (ISR). To achieve this, we will conduct a large-scale screening using a reporter line of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and a set of bacteria belonging to Soybiome, a collection of microorganisms recently established by our laboratory.Members of the collection capable of inducing ISR in this screening will then be evaluated for their ability to mitigate or prevent the incidence of diseases in soybeans. Through this, we hope to identify candidate bacteria for subsequent functional studies focused on exploring the mechanisms involved in ISR elicitation and disease prevention. This undergraduate research project is part of our group's ongoing effort to functionally characterize the Soybiome collection, which may provide deeper insights necessary for the exploration and manipulation of the plant microbiome.