Back to the Future: Microbiota Associated to Lentil Ancestors to Help the Modern Varieties
Duration: Master’s thesis
BACKGROUND
Sometimes, answers to current problems can be found in traces of the past. Legumes are among the best sources of food because of their nutritional value and production performance. In this context, the Portuguese government has legumes as a preferential crop in the future in order to guarantee food security and depend less on imports. However, modern legume varieties are often seriously affected by the increasing effects of climate change, particularly drought and rising temperatures. This did not occur in the same way in the ancestral species from which modern species were bred. These species were selected based on their production characteristics and size, but not on their resistance to stress. This has led to problems with increased sensitivity in modern varieties. Fortunately, the past has come to the fore. In addition to the genetic background, the associated microbiomes can cause differences in the tolerance of these plants. Thus, using seeds from the closest ancestral species, we want to examinate the microbiota linked to lentils to assess their differences.
OBJECTIVES
– Identify and characterize the seed microbiota of lentil ancestral species.
– Compare microbial communities between ancestral and modern lentil varieties.
– Screen beneficial microbial strains for drought tolerance enhancement.
– Evaluate the colonization ability, phenotypic effects, and drought response mechanisms induced by selected microbes.
– Investigate root exudate metabolomic profiles to understand plant-microbiome interactions.
– Develop bioinoculants to improve lentil production under drought conditions.