EJP-Soil First call: SoilsalAdapt Preadapting soil biology for increased tolerance to elevated salinities due to climate change
Informations
- Funding country
Norway- Acronym
- -
- URL
- -
- Start date
- 1/1/2022
- End date
- 12/31/2025
- Budget
- 468,753 EUR
Fundings
| Name | Role | Start | End | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Research and Innovation in Food and Bio-based Industries | Grant | - | - | 468,753 EUR |
Abstract
Saltwater contamination is a major contributor to agricultural soil degradation in arid areas, as well as areas that are threatened by climate-driven sea level rise, where it decreases crop yields. If soils as an ecosystem can ‘learn’ to tolerate saline irrigation through more gradual biological adaptation, this means growers may condition soils to remain fertile despite the use of saline irrigation. Farmers will be able to manage the increasingly pressing issue of saltwater contamination. Little is known about how soil organisms respond to increased salinity. Research show that soil organisms from saline soils are more tolerant to salt than those from non-saline soils. Based on this, this project will test a range of saline concentrations to evaluate how biological adaptation works, measure and predict impacts on various scales. Complementary expertise and resources will identify how key wheat root traits in the root/soil interface can improve soil health. Furthermore, plant-associated microorganisms and their functions stimulate plant growth and increase their resistance to changing soil conditions. Research will focus on the quantity and quality of the microbiota that these functions depend on, which among other things is determined by the composition of the soil.