The impact of stress factors on plant growth and health is being investigated at SZTE

According to the announcement, one of the emerging research topics in plant biology in recent years is the investigation of the impact of human-caused pollution causing stress. In real field conditions, plants are affected by several stressors at the same time, and these must be examined in combination. A plant exposed to stress will be less resistant to other stressors, which can ultimately lead to a decrease in yield.

The five-year research program is being started by Gábor Feigl’s group by mapping the effects of potential stressors

They are analyzing what exactly happens in the tissues and cells of the plant when a stressor appears. As a second step, they are investigating innovative pretreatment methods that can increase the resistance of plants to multiple stresses. Two types of pre-germination of plant seeds will be performed: with nano-format silicon dioxide, and in a process called bio-priming, the seeds are treated with microorganisms during germination. The seed germination process is brought to a point and stopped before germination actually occurs, and then the seeds are dried again. The silicon treatment may be able to increase the strength of the later stress response of the mature plant. The microorganisms used during pre-treatment may also later help with stress tolerance. These are – non-pathogenic – microbes that are already found in the soil.

In the third phase, the results obtained in laboratory experimental systems will be gradually transferred to agricultural conditions

The aim of the project is for the research results to contribute to more sustainable agricultural practices and to help improve the resilience of plants in polluted environments. According to the plant biologist, an additional benefit of the research could be to find a plant species or plant process that can be used for phytoremediation purposes in relation to anthropogenic stressors. The Institute of Biology of SZTE has long been researching the possibilities of using plants that are more tolerant of pollutants to clean soils and water. Heavy metal tolerance is relatively common among plants, for example, willows also tolerate toxic metals well. However, knowledge is lacking regarding other emerging stressors that are the subject of the project – such as microplastics, nanoparticles or antibiotic residues – so identifying tolerant species or increasing the tolerance of agricultural species could be an important outcome of the research, the announcement states.

MTI