Nitrogen fixation in common beans
I currently lead a project addressing the development of new tools to studying nitrogen fixation in common beans. We will also collect soil and climatic data in the field in order to define which environmental factors are linked to the success (and unsuccess) of the symbiosis under this condition.
We have also been studying the coinoculation of plant growth-promoting bacteria and rhizobia as a way to improve nodulation and nitrogen fixation in common beans.
Symbiosis between microorganisms and native legumes
We’ve been collaborating with the Land Reclamation Group of Embrapa Agrobiologia, especially Dr. Sergio Miana de Faria, studying nitrogen fixation in woody legumes in Brazil. We currently study the ecology of rhizobia associated to Clitoria fairchildiana, a legume native from the North of Brazil, but introduced in other regions of the country due to its versatility and adaptability. We also collaborate with Dr. Guilherme Chaer in selecting strains for legumes native from caatinga with focus on land reclamation on areas used for petroleum exploration.
Soil microbial ecology
We collaborate with colleagues from UNESP, Embrapa Solos, Michigan State University and Iowa State University in a project addressing the link between land use changes, the soil environment, and the occurrence of animal diseases. The project is titled “Monitoring the disturbance of the microbiota in Amazonian soils during conversion of forest to pasture and its consequences on cattle health” and is financed by the USAID and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine of the United States. Our co-PIs are Dr. Iveraldo Dutra (UNESP), Dr. Aline Oliveira (Embrapa Solos), and Dr. James Cole (MSU).
Our focus is at understanding the factors leading to outbreaks of periodontitis in cattle and sheep, especially in the Amazon region. The most characteristic version of this disease is the “swollen face” disease, or in Portuguese, “cara inchada”, which is a multifactorial bacterial infection in ruminants. Outbreaks happened extensivey in the Brazilian Cerrados and Atlantic Forest, between the 60’s and 80’s. There is evidence that this disease is linked to deforestation, and new cases have been observed in the Amazon, which is a new front of deforestation in Brazil. Our hypothesis is that deforestation and pasture introduction, under certain soil conditions, lead to changes in soil microbial communities, which, in turn, release factors that cause a disturbance in the oral microbiota and lead to the appearance of periodontitis. In order to test this hypothesis, we will characterize the soil environment and its microbial communities and look for the major factors related to the occurrence of the disease. Once identified, experiments will be designed in order to confirm this link.