IMPLiCIT
Improving soil-plant-insect interactions to promote pollinators
D.D. del MUR n. 104 del 02/02/2022
Codice progetto MUR: 2022NMAPEL
CUP: J53D23006680006
Coordinatore di progetto: Libera Università di Bolzano
Ruolo UNIBO: RL
Research areas: Agro-environmental and food microbiology
Scientific officer: Diana Di Gioia
Duration: 05/10/2023 - 05/10/2025
Research group: Diana Di Gioia, Daniele Alberoni, Chiara Braglia.
The disruption of plant-pollinator interaction is of great agronomic concern. Another relevant problem is soil degradation, which affects the microbial population and its role in soil fertility and plant health. IMPLiCIT aims to verify whether soil fertility and quality, mediated by microorganisms, can directly impact plant-pollinator interactions by modifying plant volatile organic compounds, nectar and pollen composition and play a key role in the ecosystem functionality. Sunflower is used as a model plant. Several microbial strains will be tested in the field to define the most suitable combination capable of i) increasing soil functionality and biodiversity, ii) sustaining plant growth and iii) enhancing pollinator activity.