Important crops naturally present low levels of drought tolerance and resistance to insect-pests and nematodes. Improved cultivars are constantly under attack and develop complex mechanisms of response to associated environmental stresses (abiotic and biotic). Despite the importance of these responses, a small number of characterized and introgressed genes have been reported. Therefore, the search for new genes or molecules involved in tolerance or resistance to pests or drought is imperative, as well as their stacking in order to transform cultivars adapted to different weather and soil conditions.
In this context, the “INCT - Biotechnology applied to plant stresses” proposes the integration of several Brazilian research groups and international partners, which are experts in plant physiology, transcriptomics, epigenetics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and functional genomics. The integrated research group aims to develop a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional network with national and international excellence to generate biotechnological assets applied to maize, soybean and cotton aiming tolerance to water deficit and pest control (Meloidogyne spp, H. armigera and S. frugiperda). This project includes prospection, isolation, characterization and functional validation of genes and molecules involved in resistance against pests and water deficit tolerance.