Understanding the effect of a lignin-derived crop yield stimulator on the corn microbiome

Retrievall Inc是一家加拿大初创公司，目前正在处理来自纸浆/造纸行业的树木木质素衍生废物，作为农民的产品，通过其分销商LIGNITION Corp.销售。它们被涂覆在作物种子上，并作为叶面喷雾剂，提高作物产量（例如玉米）。因此，这些产品代表了双赢的气候变化技术，因为它们利用了一种碳废物来源，否则这些废物将被燃烧以释放二氧化碳，但相反，它们增加了作物生物量，以实现更大的碳固存。这些产品已经在北美约100万英亩的土地上使用。然而，该公司希望了解这些产品提高作物产量的机制，这将有助于获得未来的研究赠款。此外，通过揭示潜在的生物过程，这种作用机制将有助于营销，扩大销售和加拿大就业机会。初步报告表明，该产品增加了根际（附着在根部的土壤）中革兰氏+/-细菌 ** 的数量。后一个观察结果值得注意，因为农业生物技术公司正在投资数十亿美元，以促进作物中的有益微生物。植物酚类化合物（与木质素同属一类）是众所周知的吸引和刺激微生物的信号分子。因此，该提议要解决的问题是木质素衍生化合物是否/如何促进目标微生物多样性。在这里，圭尔夫大学的一组 ** 研究人员建议检查产品对玉米地下 ** 微生物组（外部土壤根际和内部根内生菌）和叶片微生物组（表面附生植物 ** 和内部叶片内生菌）的影响。我们将首次将多并行miseq DNA测序技术应用于这个问题，以表征社区中的每一个细菌。同时，我们将独立验证 ** 对作物产量和生理的影响。如果这些产品确实促进了微生物多样性，那么这些信息 ** 将为产品带来价值，因为它们可以作为微生物刺激剂或佐剂销售。进一步的 ** 研究可能使该公司能够优化产品以针对特定的有益微生物，并提高 ** 商业微生物接种剂的现场有效性。

Retrievall Inc, a Canadian startup company, currently processes a tree lignin derived waste product from the**pulp/paper industry as products for farmers, sold through their distributor, LIGNITION Corp. They are coated**onto crop seeds and as leaf sprays and boost crop yields (e.g. in corn). Hence the products represent win-win**climate change technologies as they utilize a carbon waste source that would otherwise be burned to release**CO2, but instead they boost crop biomass for greater carbon sequestration. The products are already applied**onto ~1 million acres in North America. However, the company wishes to understand the mechanism by which**these products boost crop yields, which will assist in obtaining future research grants. Furthermore, the**mechanism of action would help with marketing, expand sales and Canadian jobs, by revealing the underlying**biological process. A preliminary report suggested that the product increases populations of Gram+/- bacteria**in the rhizosphere (soil attached to the root). The latter observation is noteworthy, because ag-biotech is**investing billions to promote beneficial microbes in crops. Plant phenolic compounds (same class as lignin) are**well known signaling molecules that attract and stimulate microbes. Hence, the problem to be solved by this**proposal is whether/how the lignin-derived compounds promote targeted microbial diversity. Here, a team of**researchers at the University of Guelph propose to examine the effects of the products on corn's underground**microbiome (external soil rhizosphere and internal root endophytes) and leaf microbiome (surface epiphytes**and internal leaf endophytes). We will bring multi-parallel miseq DNA sequencing technology to the problem**for the first time, to characterize every bacterium in the community. In parallel, we will independently validate**impacts on crop yield and physiology. If indeed the products are boosting microbial diversity, this information**will bring value to the products as they can be marketed as a microbial stimulators or adjuvants. Further**research may allow the company to optimize the products to target specific beneficial microbes and improve**the field effectiveness of commercial microbial inoculants.