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The symbiosis between soil bacteria
(rhizobia) and leguminous plants (beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc)
provides nitrogen to the plant by nitrogen fixation, thus increasing
yields and reducing the need of environmentally damaging chemical
N-fertilisers. Rhizobia can thus be used as safe seed inoculants in
sustainable and ecological agriculture. Molecular biology approaches
on rhizobia are important for elucidation of the symbiosis
relationship and development of improved inoculants. |
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Our group is interested in
the study of the biodiversity and phylogeny of natural populations
of rhizobia from chickpea and other leguminous plants, using a
molecular biology approach.
We are also interested in the selection of native rhizobia, both
efficient and adapted to local conditions, crucial for the
improvement of inoculants. For that purpose we are evaluating the
phenotypic characteristics of rhizobia strains, mainly symbiotic
efficiency and tolerance to environmental stress including high
temperature, salinity or pH extremes.
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Presently, several students are working in the lab:
-Marta Laranjo "Molecular bases of stress response in symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria". Post-Doc Researcher. In course since May 2007.
-Ana Alexandre “Functional analysis of chaperone genes in rhizobia”. Post-Doc Researcher. In course since April 2011.
-Clarisse Brígido “Evaluation of tolerance to salinity stress of
chickpea rhizobia strains” PhD thesis, University of Évora. In course since
October 2007.
-Carla Varanda BI fellowship in the project "Improvement of Rhizobia by Genetic Modification with Stress Response Genes" (PTDC/BIO/80932/2006) since
May 2011.
-Catarina Fonseca "Characterization of rhizobial strains modified with chaperone genes". Undergrad student.
-Filipa Silva "Characterization of chaperone genes in mesorhizobia". Undergrad student.
-Juliana Gonçalves "Regulators of stress response genes in mesorhizobia". Undergrad student.
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