LEMIBIO

The transnational access project LEMIBIO – Integrating plant quality analysis with LEaf MIcrobiota composition and functional diversity in Chinese cabbage plants grown on BIOchar amended soils – was approved and founded in the frame of the Horizon AgroServ project.

Biochar is a high carbon residue produced by the pyrolysis of organic matter. Its potential to improve crop yields and soil properties and functions (e.g. improve soil fertility, soil stability, water retention, carbon sequestration and crop production) has been extensively studied over the last decade. As part of a previous project, we produced two different biochars from olive tree prunings and halzenut tree prunings, respectively. In order to evaluate the effect of the produced biochar as soil amendant, we plan to perform growth tests following a UNI EN protocol. After the determination of plant biomass and eco-physiological status, the project will assess the nutritional status of the produced plants through the support of the University of Life Sciences of Prague. The leaves produced during the test will also be subjected to phyllosphere analysis through metabolic fingerprinting and Next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques at the CIRM-CFBP Collection for Plant associated Bacteria of the French INRAE, in order to evaluate the structure, diversity and metabolic activity of the microbial community leaving on the leaves.

Partner of the project are ENEA , through collaboration with Valentina Mazzurco Miritana, and CONICET (Argentina) collaboration with Carolina Agnello and Sabrina Festa.