Canadian PI: Dr. Sina Adl                            

Canadian Institution: University of Saskatchewan

Indian PI: Dr. Santosh Mohanty

Indian Institution: Indian Institute of Soil Science

Project Summary:

Increasing greenhouse gas concentration, declining nutrient use efficiency and UV radiation stress are the emerging challenges in agriculture. CH4 and CO2 are the major drivers of climate change, while the depletion of ozone layer leads to higher UV radiation stress. There is need of multifaceted approach to address these challenges. In plant, methylotroph bacteria are predominant on the phyllosphere. Methylotrophs consume various C1 compounds including CH3OH, CH4, and CO2. This bacterial group also produce carotenoids which protect plant from UV radiation. However, the mechanisms of such attributes are not well understood. We hypothesize that methylotrophs produce heat shock proteins along with carotenoids and also improves nutrient use efficiency under abiotic stress. The project envisages to elucidate the bioconversion of C1 compounds to metabolites for developing microbial technology towards climate smart agriculture.