Soil Microbiology Laboratory

The Soil Microbiology laboratory is dedicated to the study of microorganisms that positively impact the development and nutrition of plants.

It is known that the practice of biofertilization is friendly to the environment because it uses natural resources of the soil and it is also advantageous from the economic point of view since its cost is significantly lower than chemical fertilizers.

In addition, in many cases, biological fertilizers are more efficient than chemical ones.

This is due to the fact that an interaction is established between the plant of interest and the microorganism used for the formulation of the biofertilizer, selectively incorporating the nutrients to the crop of interest. Within the great diversity of microorganisms found in the soil, our laboratory deals specifically with the study of:

-The microbial communities of the soil and rhizosphere and their relationship with the sustainability and productivity of agricultural systems.

-The mutualistic symbiotic interaction between rhizobia and legumes and the factors that affect the efficiency of atmospheric Nitrogen fixation.

-Microorganisms that promote plant growth through the contribution of essential nutrients (N, P, Fe, etc.) and production of phytohormones.

In the laboratory we have human resources and adequate equipment to carry out basic and applied research through the implementation of techniques that include: Isolation and characterization of microorganisms associated with plants of agronomic interest.

Evaluation of the behavior of microorganisms under different conditions and type of abiotic stress.

Study of activities related to the promotion of plant growth. Identification of genetic diversity and taxonomic identity by molecular and phylogenetic methods. Sequencing and analysis of bacterial genomes.

Dip DP, Sannazzaro AI, Otondo J, Pistorio M, Estrella MJ. Exploring phosphate solubilizing bacterial communities in rhizospheres of native and exotic forage grasses in alkaline-sodic soils of the flooding pampa. Current Microbiology 81, 189. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-024-03704-x

Medeot D, Sannazzaro A, Estrella MJ, Torres Tejerizo G, Contreras-Moreira B, Pistorino M, Jofré E. Unraveling the genome of Bacillus velezensis MEP218, a strain producing fengycin homologs with broad antibacterial activity: comprehensive comparative genome analysis Scientific Reports 13, 22168. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49194-y

Castagno LN, Sannazzaro AI, González ME, Pieckenstain FL, Estrella MJ. Phosphobacteria as key actors to overcome phosphorus deficiency in plants. Annals of Aplied Biology. En prensa.  https://doi.org/10.1111/aab.12673

Cumpa-Velásquez LM, Moriconi JI, Dip DP, Castagno LN, Puig ML, Maiale SJ, Santa María GE, Sannazzaro AI, Estrella MJ. Prospecting phosphate solubilizing bacteria in alkaline-sodic environments reveals intra-specific variability in Pantoea eucalypti affecting nutrient acquisition and rhizobial nodulation in Lotus tenuis. Applied Soil Ecology 168, 104125. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2021.104125

Estrella MJ, Fontana MF, Cumpa Velásquez LM, Torres Tejerizo GA, Diambra L, Hansen LH, Pistorio M, Sannazzaro A. Syst Appl Microbiol. 43, 126044. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.syapm.2019.126044