The article on bacteria from the Campos Rupestres that can make phosphorus available to plants was one of three winners of the ISME Journal 2023 Best Paper Award. The award recognizes the most impactful articles published in the ISME Journal in the last year.
The article “Plant microbiomes harbor potential to promote nutrient turnover in impoverished substrates of a Brazilian biodiversity hotspot” is the result of Antonio P. Camargo’s doctoral thesis. It was contributed to by Rafael S. C. de Souza, Juliana Jose, Isabel R. Gerhardt, Ricardo A. Dante, Supratim Mukherjee, Marcel Huntemann, Nikos C. Kyrpides, Marcelo F. Carazzolle, and Paulo Arruda.
The research found bacteria that can make phosphorus available to plants. These bacteria were found in the Campos Rupestres, a Brazilian ecosystem located in Minas Gerais and Bahia, with lots of plants, despite being poor in phosphorus and very acidic soil.
The study showed that these bacteria have more genes related to phosphorus solubilization than those found in other environments. This allows plants to survive in adverse conditions. The plants secrete organic compounds through their roots that attract these bacteria, forming a symbiotic relationship that facilitates plant nutrition.
The discovery could lead to new biofertilizers that could reduce Brazil’s dependence on imported phosphate fertilizers, reduce the environmental and economic impacts of chemical fertilizers, and contribute to more sustainable agriculture.
Impact inside and outside academia
The article selection process included two phases. The first was based on metrics related to the impact of the article inside and outside academia. The second phase evaluated the articles for their content. This included high-impact articles that raised the profile of the ISME Journal and highlighted exceptional discoveries in the field of microbial ecology.
Since it was online in December 2022, the article has been viewed more than 11,000 times, cited 20 times, and scored 88 on the Altimetrics Score, which measures engagement and the dissemination of research in online journals, social networks, and blogs.
The article is ranked as one of the 3% most cited out of 484,069 articles published in the same period. It is currently in second place out of 35 articles of a similar age in The ISME Journal. This data indicates that the article has been widely referenced and recognized.
About the GCCRC
The Genomics for Climate Change Research Center (GCCRC) is an Engineering Research Center (ERC) supported by FAPESP in collaboration with Embrapa, based at the Center for Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering – CBMEG at Unicamp. The center develops biotechnology solutions to increase the tolerance of agricultural crops to the stresses imposed by global climate change.
