Umwandlung von Allelochemikalien durch Bakterien

As sessile organisms, plants compete with their neighbors for limited resources. In a process known as “allelopathy”, some species exude chemicals from their roots to inhibit the growth of other species nearby. This chemical warfare plays an important role in the interaction between crops and weeds, and using allelopathy in weed control has potential as an important tool for future sustainable agriculture. A key aspect of allelopathy is the chemical dynamics of the compounds in the soil: while some are converted to more biologically active forms, others lose their toxicity upon conversion. Although there are indications that soil bacteria act as key players in this biotransformation, their contribution to a plant’s toxicity remains unresolved. This proposal aims to elucidate the molecular processes in the soil during allelopathy through the following objectives: 1. Determining the products of microbe-mediated chemical conversion of crop-derived allelochemicals. 2. Resolving the genetic basis of microbe-mediated degradation of crop-derived allelochemicals. To reach the research objectives, we will use an interdisciplinary approach in which we will combine analytical chemistry with microbial genomics. In a broader sense, this project aims to achieve a pioneering knowledge of the molecular processes in the soil involved in allelopathy, and will thus contribute to sustainable farming practices in future agriculture.