When David Johnston-Monje visited Brazil in 2011 to conduct vital research he reported “The research trip was contingent on funding, and only IICA Canada came through”.
Ottawa, Canada. Geared at encouraging and supporting the internationalization of agri-food science, technology and innovation, IICA’s Research Internship and Assistance Program (RIAP) provides seed funds for researchers and producers in Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.
David based at the time at the University of Guelph, received one such grant and has not looked back since! He remembers that up to 3 hours before his departure flight, he was still extracting DNA in the world renowned grass-bacteria research laboratory at EMBRAPA. Designed to add to existing knowledge needed to inform agroecological strategies for optimizing maize productivity, it was important that the work be conducted in a tropical environment with locally adapted maize varieties and environmentally unique soils. The inability to ship live cultures due to the denial of an export permit served to direct the DNA focus of the research. Dr. Johnston-Monje now is pleased that his findings have resulted in a peer-reviewed article in Plant Soil Journal. Entitled: Bacterial populations in juvenile maize rhizospheres originate from both seed and soil. Dr. Johnston-Monje detailed his study to assess the impacts of soil microbes and plant genotype on the composition of maize associated bacterial communities. He concluded that scientists and farmers attempting to alter and optimize the maize rhizosphere to aid in disease and stress resistance, nutrient acquisition and root development, may be more successful if they focussed efforts to perturb the seed associated microbiome rather than the soil microbiome.
IICA Delegation in Canada extends congratulations to David for his publication and for providing practical information to farmers, demonstrating the impact that the RIAP program can make!
For full paper see: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11104-016-2826-0
