iPlantMicro Lab
@iplantmicro.bsky.social
Researching in plant-microbe interactions and environmental bioengineering, this site will serve as micro-blogging space to transmit our knowledge about plant-microbe biotechnology! 🌱🦠🏞️🧫🧬 @itqbnova @greenit_bio4sus 🗣️: EN/PT
What an amazing summer! 🔆 We’re grateful for everyone who joined us to learn, share ideas, and build our community. Creating opportunities and sharing knowledge help inspire the next generation of scientists. Thank you for making our lab such a vibrant place! @itqbnova.bsky.social
3/3. 🎉 Kusum, Milli and Marina have all secured FCT PhD fellowships and are joining the iPlantMicro lab. Three projects, one mission: understanding plant microbiomes for a more resilient agriculture. 🌱🦠 Now the real adventure begins. 🚀 @itqbnova.bsky.social
Internships this year have been intense, and Kusum was behind the success of many of them! Here’s the proof... and somehow everyone survived 🤭 @itqbnova.bsky.social
🌱 Excited to announce that EXU-PROTECT has been funded! We'll develop microbiome-based strategies to protect tomato plants against Fusarium, bringing together researchers from @itqbnova.bsky.social, FCUP, Universidade de Évora and InnovPlantProtect. Thanks to @lacaixa.bsky.social and FCT! 🍅🔬
Summer internships level this year is really too! Please welcome Isabel and Madalena from FCT NOVA, they are going to share some time with us, gaining first level experience in #plantmicrobeinteractions! 🦠🌱 @itqbnova.bsky.social
Last Friday, our amazing students André and Kusum completed the #StartUpResearchNOVA course! The skill and knowledge gathered will help us to expand our results transference to real world applications. Great job, guys! So proud of you! @itqbnova.bsky.social
During last days we had the chance to participate and share our work at #IAS2026 in @usaloficial.bsky.social! It's great to talk to old and new friends in such dynamic environment🌱🦠 @itqbnova.bsky.social
Another year, another interview phase for @lacaixa.bsky.social #PROMOVE projects! Nothing but being through this process with our colleagues from Plant Stress Lab at FCUP, but also supported by GREEN-IT @itqbnova.bsky.social, U Evora and InnovPlantProtect! Finger crossed! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻😜
This summer two excelent students join us for an internship, Inês and Catarina! They will gather a lot of experience and insightful knowledge of lab work and science research! Welcome! @itqbnova.bsky.social
Welcome Julian, Amelie & Nico from @chemistry-tuw.bsky.social! 🌱 They’ll explore how salinity shapes microbial dynamics in rice paddies and identify microbes that could help rice cope with salt stress!🌾 @itqbnova.bsky.social
This week, Matilde Pizarro and Matilde Isidro joined our lab through #SummerScience2026 at @itqbnova.bsky.social! They are characterizing bacterial strains with potential as biotreatments to improve crop tolerance to salinity. Go, Matilde's team!
Short but exciting visit from Kevin Bretscher! We sampled microbial communities in rice paddy fields across a salinity gradient to better understand plant–microbiome ecology. You’re always welcome, Kevin! @itqbnova.bsky.social @ihsmumacsic.bsky.social
🍅🧫New publication in JoVE: Isolation of Tomato Seed-Associated Microbiota through Controlled Germination and Comparative Culturing. A protocol to compare culturable microbiota recovered from dry seeds and germinated seedlings! DOI: 10.3791/72014 @itqbnova.bsky.social @universidadgranada.bsky.social
A key step in our seed microbial inheritance research was tracking our strains,and now most glow bright green! 🟢 Recovered from soil and roots days after inoculation, they show strong system stability. Promising start! @itqbnova.bsky.social @istecnico.bsky.social
Last week was our turn for the SCAN seminar series @itqbnova.bsky.social, and we had the chance to show our colleagues our fascinating story on how exudates act as a language for plant-microbiome interactions 🦠🧪🌱
This pic is really meaningful🥹 Milli was the first student of the lab, and yesterday made 5 years since then! You're awesome student and a wonderful friend, for many more years! @itqbnova.bsky.social
Last week I had the chance to show our protocols on seed microbiota research at #PrimSeedPower first genera meeting. This #COSTAction will help us to understand priming impact on seed germination and plant development, and microbes have something to say! 🦠🌱 @itqbnova.bsky.social
Amazing performance by Leonor in her Bachelor’s thesis defense today! Using drought-induced root exudates, Leo evaluated which recruited microbial components make the difference in protecting plants under water-limited conditions. We are so proud of you! 🌱👏 @itqbnova.bsky.social
🌱 Delighted to share our latest review on legume seed endophytes as natural bioinoculants for sustainable agriculture. Part of the 🇵🇹🇪🇸 #EndoLEGUME project, funded by Fundação la Caixa. 📖 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/... @itqbnova.bsky.social
Really proud of our bachelor students Inês and Rita! They presented their bachelor thesis progress at @istecnico.bsky.social with a wonderful poster as PIC. Great job, keep it up! 🎉 @itqbnova.bsky.social
It's our pleasure to host the student Sanjna Patel from @universityofga.bsky.social! She will prepare her internship on root exudates with us for the next months, welcome Sanjna! @itqbnova.bsky.social
Wrapping up the final tests of a promising new formulation that may lead to a cost-effective and sustainable seed coating solution for bioinoculants! It's exciting to see the potential of this approach and its future applications in sustainable agriculture🦠🌱 @itqbnova.bsky.social
Our younger students are graduating, and we couldn’t be prouder Henrique, Rita, Inês and Leonor! Your work is a vital part of what we do, and they take it seriously with dedication and care. Parabéns, well deserved! @itqbnova.bsky.social @istecnico.bsky.social
New paper out 🚀 How do bacteria and phages shape each other's evolution? In Priestia megaterium, RM systems act as a major barrier to lysogeny, while prophages fight back with anti-restriction genes. Open access: link.springer.com/article/10.1... @itqbnova.bsky.social @springernature.com
