Red de Excelencia Consolider

The GeBioPAD (Genomics and Biotechnology of Plant-Associated Microorganisms; http://www.cbgp.upm.es/gebiopad.php) group studies plant-associated nitrogen-fixing bacteria, both “per se” and as a means to improve the growth and nitrogen economy of the plants associated with these microorganisms. We are interested in learning how these bacteria, key players in biogeochemical, ecological and agricultural processes, have adapted to carry out their activity in association with the host plant, after competing in the rhizosphere with other organisms and overcoming a highly restrictive plant intracellular environment. We apply genomic and metagenomic approaches in an effort to understand the diversity, regulation and physiology of the metabolic and functional adaptations that allow them to overcome these limitations. We currently study two major systems: the rhizobium-legume root nodule symbiosis, and the plant microbiomes of monocots (sugarcane and Brachypodium) and dicots (legumes).