Professor and researcher Araceli Díaz Perales presented one of the four reports developed by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN).

For more than 6 thousand years, populations of Arabidopsis thaliana have adapted to the environment of the African archipelago of Cabo Verde. Now, an international study involving the CBGP and INRAE shows how plants from two different islands have independently and in parallel acquired mutations in a gene that allows them to produce a substance that helps them survive in high salinity conditions. This discovery offers new avenues for improving the resilience of agricultural crops in soils with high salt concentrations.

Research conducted within the framework of the Center of Excellence in Plant-Environment Interactions (CEPEI), an international collaboration, has identified a “genetic switch” that regulates the activation of plant defenses against multiple diseases.

The Phytopathogenic Bacteria Group of the CBGP is joining this international project, which seeks to reduce the threat and incidence of bacterial infections in tubers and vegetables.

A study conducted by researchers from the Associations of Symbiotic Bacteria with Plants Group at CBGP has revealed that two zinc transporter systems contribute to the symbiosis of Rhizobium with pea and lentil plants.

The CBGP researcher Jorge Hernandez-Garcia is co-author of the roadmap encouraging the scientific community to standardize protocols and methodologies in Streptophyte algae research. The document, published in Current Biology, was shaped by contributions from experts around the world.

The Center for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP) stands out for having obtained nine grants for predoctoral contracts associated with these projects.

To ensure food supply, farmers often rely on Plant Protection Products (PPPs), which help defend plants from harmful insects and diseases. However, the misuse of chemical PPPs can harm the environment and affect plants, animals, and humans. Thus, there’s increasing focus on finding safer and more sustainable alternatives, such as biopesticides.

More than 300 experts from 17 countries shared cutting-edge research, discussed climate action strategies and strengthened partnerships between science, policy and the private sector.

A Nature Communications paper from Dr. Couce’s lab at CBGP has shown that mutualistic bacterial communities can revert to autonomy to escape environmental stress, through metabolic rewiring that depends on both the bacterial strain and the type of stress.

In this study, we show that environmental conditions resembling climate change can differentially alter the response of plants to herbivores. In Arabidopsis thaliana, transcriptomic changes induced by warm temperatures favored the performance of the herbivore Tetranychus urticae, whereas those associated with mild drought reduced plant damage.

Plants live in constant interaction with an invisible community of microorganisms –known as the plant microbiome –that inhabit the soil, roots, leaves, and even the seeds. These microbial partners can enhance plant growth, improve stress tolerance, and may be key allies in adapting agriculture to climate change.