Cristina López Hidalgo did her PhD at the University of Oviedo, in Spain. She joined the Weckwerth Lab, a world-leading lab in metabolomics, plant-microbe interaction and crop research, as a visiting scientist from the University of Oviedo, where she studied the acclimation response to abiotic stress and natural variation of forest trees. Adaptive differences in response to high temperatures and drought, environmental conditions harmful to plants including forest and crop species, seem to be driven by the metabolome and the soil microbiome. Through this methodology called metabolomics the aim of the project is to study how drought affects root exudates of essential crops such as wheat, pearl millet and maize.
In addition to being harmful to crops, drought can hinder the assimilation of nutrients such as nitrogen. Globally, agriculture uses a huge amount of nitrogen fertilizer, about 120 million tons yearly. However, due to soil processes, like nitrification, up to 70 % of this nitrogen isn't taken up by crops and ends up washing away. This causes water pollution and the release of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, with a warming effect 298 times stronger than CO2. Crop roots can exudate natural compounds that prevent nitrification, a process known as biological nitrification inhibition (BNI). The discovery of new BNI compounds remains minimally explored in wheat and corn, and root exudate plasticity in response to environmental changes is still extremely limited.
"This project is really exciting because the field of discovery of new BNI compounds is an area in full bloom", explains López Hidalgo. "Identifying crop ecotypes with greater biological nitrogen fixation capacity serves the dual purpose of potentially reducing nitrogen fertilizer usage, thereby cutting costs, and mitigating environmental harm."
About the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship
The European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship Program awards 2-year postdoctoral fellowships to outstanding scientists working in research institutions in EU member states, to support their careers and foster excellence in research.
The selection process evaluates the applicant's achievements and the scientific quality of the project and the host laboratory. The process is highly competitive, with less than 15 percent of applicants receiving a fellowship. On top of a monthly stipend, the fellowship provides research and travel allowances, and the program organizes a yearly meeting.
Funded by the European Union, the MSCA-PF enhances the creative and innovative potential of excellent postdoctoral researchers who wish to acquire new skills through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral mobility. Both new fellows at the Faculty of Life Sciences are among the 10 top-ranked MSCA-PF awarded to the University, based on the score given by the European Commission, and will receive an additional third year of salary.
Further reading:
