User: Premier Tech
Beneficial plant bacteria are extremely useful in agriculture, since they promote the growth of plants and their resistance to stress. To make the most of these benefits, however, the bacteria must form a strong association with plant roots, which does not always occur. In this project, we propose the use of laboratory evolution to optimize the colonization capacity of a plant-beneficial bacterial strain currently being studied at Premier Tech. The approach consists of carrying out selection cycles in the lab to keep only the bacteria best adapted to the roots, in other words, those with the greatest potential for colonization. Metagenomic sequencing of bacterial isolates using laboratory evolution, followed by their complete characterization, will allow the selection of the best strategy to obtain improved strains. This innovative project uses natural mechanisms (evolution) in a controlled environment (the laboratory) to optimize plant-beneficial bacteria, with the aim of promoting the development of sustainable agriculture.