LS106: Plant-cyanobacteria Symbiosis

We study the mutualistic relationships between cyanobacteria and crop plants, with the aim of obtaining new biofertilizers for crop production. Some cyanobacteria, able to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2), use photosynthesis as the primary source of energy to assimilate this element, and are known for their enormous contribution to nitrogen and carbon cycles in the biosphere. Some cyanobacteria genera live in symbiosis with plants, providing nitrogen to the host. The use of biofertilizers containing these symbiotic cyanobacteria constitutes a sustainable alternative to nitrogen fertilizers, reducing the environmental risk associated to our current agronomic techniques.
Our research is supported by:
CONTACT
Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis (IBVF)
CicCartuja, Avda. Américo Vespucio, 49
41092, Seville, Spain
Group leaders:
![]() Vicente Mariscal (personal website) (ORCID) |
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![]() Fernando P. Molina (Associate Prof. at Univ. Seville) (ORCID) |
Components:
![]() Consolación Álvarez (ComFuturo Postdoc) (ORCID) |
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![]() Manuel Brenes (Postdoc) (ORCID) |
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![]() Macarena Iniesta (PIF PhD student) |
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![]() Laura Frías (lab technician) |
Students:
![]() Francisco Gordillo (undergraduate) |
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![]() Beatriz Suárez (undergraduate) |
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![]() Christian García (undergraduate) |
2019-2020: Extractos de cianobacterias como agentes potenciadores del crecimiento en cultivos de algodón y tomate (Grant AT-5236). Junta de Andalucía, Spain. Principal Investigator (PI): Dr. Vicente Mariscal Romero. Funding: 46 400 €
2019-2021: Diseño de nuevos biofertilizantes para cultivos del bajo Guadalquivir (BFE14300). Financed by Technological Corporation of Andalusia (CTA). Principal Investigator (PI): Dr. Vicente Mariscal and Dr. Fernando P. Molina. Funding: 94 380 €
2018-2022: Diseño de nuevos biofertilizantes de uso agrícola que potencien la interacción planta-cianobacteria (CVC4632). Fundación General CSIC- Programa ComFuturo. Principal Investigator (PI): Dr. Consolación Álvarez Núñez. Funding: 159 000 €
2020
Álvarez C, Navarro JA, Molina-Heredia FP, Mariscal V. Endophytic colonization of rice (Oryza sativa L.) by the symbiotic strain Nostoc punctiforme PCC 73102. Mol. Plant Microbe Interact. (2020) DOI: 10.1094/MPMI-01-20-0015-SC.
2019
Álvarez C, Ramírez-Moncayo C, Alves-Martínez P, Molina-Heredia FP, Mariscal V. Diversity of N2-fixing cyanobacteria from Andalusian paddy fields and analysis of their potential as bioinoculants. Biosaia, vol. 8 (2019).
Torrado A, Ramírez-Moncayo C, Navarro JA, Mariscal V, Molina-Heredia FP. Cytochrome c6 is the main respiratory and photosynthetic soluble electron donor in heterocysts of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. BBA Bioenergetics, 1860 (1): 60-68. (2019) DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2018.11.009.