The role of the microbiome in providing resilience to multi-stress environments

• Applicants: Privatdozent Dr. Hardy Rolletschek; Dr. Jedrzej Szymanski
• Subject Area: Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems ; Plant Physiology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 553028913

Climate change poses a huge threat to agriculture by simultaneously imposing multiple stresses on crops. A single mild stress, when given in isolation, rarely has a significant effect on growth. However, when mild stresses are given in combination, this can significantly repress growth. Microbiomes have been shown to enhance plant resilience to environmental stresses. However, we do not know what role microbiomes play in multi-stress environments. In this project, we propose to use duckweed as a model plant for studying resilience to multi-stress environments. Duckweed's small size and rapid growth make it an ideal model for such a study. These unique characteristics allow us to test a larger matrix of stress combinations than would be possible in any other flowering plant. The knowledge gained from duckweed about the role that microbiota imparts for stress resilience will be directly transferable to crop species, as we have already shown that duckweed-associated microbes affect the growth of other plant species. Furthermore, duckweed itself shows promise as a climate-resilient food and fuel source due to its ability to grow without arable land, its high productivity, and its nutritional value. In this project we aim to (1) Quantify the effect that microbiota play across the largest matrix of stresses examined in a plant-microbe study to date; (2) Use multi-omic approaches (metabolome, transcriptome, ionome, phenome) to understand how microbes confer resilience to a select combination of stresses; (3) determine which components of the microbial community are required for a subset of plant-environment responses; and (4) Deliver a pathway to impact by demonstrating how Synthetic Communities of Duckweed-Associated Bacteria can be used in the large-scale cultivation of duckweed and how they can influence the stress resilience of other plants. This ambitious project brings together expertise in different techniques, including, Metabolomics (Germany), Ecological Genomics and Transcriptomics (US) and Phenotyping (UK), leveraging state-of-the-art technologies in each country. Duckweed has recently been recognized as a novel food source in the US and EU. Therefore, direct beneficiaries of this work include companies looking to rapidly scale up duckweed growth, as well as researchers looking to translate findings from model to crop.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: United Kingdom, USA
• Partner Organisation: Biotechnology und Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Anthony Bishopp; Dr. Gabriel Castrillo Molina; Professor Dr. Eric Lam; Dr. Na Wei
• Co-Investigator: Privatdozentin Dr. Ljudmilla Borisjuk