Three amazing young women defended their master’s theses this year—and they absolutely nailed it. ✨ Brilliant, funny, resilient… they turned stress into success and left the committee stunned. Proud of our unstoppable trio! 🎓💛 @itqbnova.bsky.social @istecnico.bsky.social

Next round of metabarcoding analyses is coming! Effects of micro plastics in soil microbiota or the seed microbiome of quinoa and amaranthus will be unveiled soon! @itqbnova.bsky.social

Today we hoste the visit of the students from ES Sebastião e Silva to show them some techniques we apply in our lab! André, Thomas, Daniel, Ahsen and Milli showed how cool is to be in a lab and tell them about the relevance of plant-microbe interactions! @itqbnova.bsky.social

The good ones, always come back! Please welcome João as part of our team! He's back as master student, developing a new tool to design SynComs improving or decision-taking about how to assemble more efficient consortia! So happy to have you here again 🎉 @itqbnova.bsky.social

During the last 6th Plant Microbiome Symposium in Antequera, our student Milli outperformed! The work developed together with Daniel about the biostimulation of soil microbiota by algae extracts was captivating the audience of the event, great job! @microsos.bsky.social @itqbnova.bsky.social

From science talks to spontaneous laughter — the 6th Plant Microbiome Symposium gave us way more than great research updates! Somewhere between sessions, a new powerhouse (and comedy troupe?) of PIs was born for better future in the area! @itqbnova.bsky.social @microsos.bsky.social

It may look like just an ordinary petri dish… but it’s actually a glimpse of hope! 🧫✨ These amazing bacteria have the power to break down pesticides in soil, helping us restore soil health and move toward a cleaner, more sustainable future. Tiny organisms, huge impact! @itqbnova.bsky.social

In the dark we work, for a brighter and sustainable world! 🔬🧫 @itqbnova.bsky.social

🆕 Our new paper is out in The ISME Journal!🌱🧬🦠 We uncover how epigenetic regulation drives chemical crosstalk between plants & microbes — key to sustainable agriculture. Proud collaboration with our friends of Dr. Mengcen Wang's lab @ZJU @itqbnova.bsky.social 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/isme...

As we did with modern lines, as we do for ancestors! We evaluate stress-induced exudates profiles for tomato ancestor along the life cycle. The initial results showed way more complex blends, so we aim to uncover the lost language to selectively recruit beneficial pals!🌱🦠🍅 @itqbnova.bsky.social

Months of dedication, discovery, and algae-powered breakthroughs 🌿💪 Our Master’s students just defended their theses — exploring how natural extracts can boost soil life and resilience. Huge congratulations to our new graduates! 🎓👏 @itqbnova.bsky.social @istecnico.bsky.social

📢 For those who missed the sixth WG2 webinar or those who want to watch it again! Here is the fabulous talk by Professor Andrea Genre (University of Turin): youtu.be/1isYYFOSQc4 #rootbenefit #webinar #mycorrhiza

🎃 Our lab turned spooky…but the microbes are serious! We’re investigating the ghost-stories of the soil: how plants call in microbes to protect them from stress. This Halloween, a shout-out to the tiny helpers making crops stronger, soils smarter, and the future greener 🦠🌱 @itqbnova.bsky.social

Great experience at #Microbioma2025 in Córdoba 🌿 Presented our work on seed microbiota and how these microbial partners influence plant health from the start. Many thanks to the organizing team for an inspiring and perfectly run event! 👏 @itqbnova.bsky.social

Queridos socios, el próximo viernes 14 de noviembre a las 9:30h tendrá lugar nuestra próxima Asamblea General Ordinaria, que realizaremos de manera virtual en esta edición 2025. Los detalles de conexión y agenda se han enviado por correo. ¡Os esperamos a tod@s! 📅14 Nov 📷9:30am

📢 It is tomorrow!!! The first webinar in our second WG2 series!! We will have the pleasure of having two excellent speakers: - Prof. Andrea Genre (University of Turin, Italy). - Dr. Olga Lastovetsky (University College Dublin, Ireland) #costaction conectava.csic.es/B/raf-k1s-mp...

Today, during anual GREEN-IT meeting at @itqbnova.bsky.social, I shared my experience and project I prepared for ERC. It's a good moment to shout out my lab team, that finally performed awesome to help me in this trip. So really appreciate you guys!

We are very happy to welcome and host Thomas Sousa, PhD student from Federal University of Ceará, Brazil! He's going to train in hands-on experience our protocols and techniques in plant-microbe interactions as part of his international internship program, welcome Thomas! @itqbnova.bsky.social

Today we're happy to host Santiago from PunaBio! He will expertise how to prepare the formulation we have been developing for extremophile microorganisms. Welcome Santi! @itqbnova.bsky.social

Year 3, in the field again 🌽 We’ve returned to António Teixeira Experimental Station (Coruche), teaming up with Anpromis to validate drought-biotic treatments based on our top greenhouse isolates! @itqbnova.bsky.social

We’re saying see you soon to Isaac Gaitán from Maria Reguera’s lab (@uam.es), who joined for an inspiring internship exploring root exudates in Amaranthus and Quinoa and microbial inheritance in seeds. Thank you, this is just the start of more to come! @itqbnova.bsky.social

We’re glad to welcome Ahsen from Abdullah Gül University (Türkiye) 🇹🇷! She’ll be working on characterizing soil microbiota linked to plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses 🌱🧫 @itqbnova.bsky.social

From a promising student to a cornerstone of our lab — André’s research on halophile bacteria to restore salinized soils just won the Oeiras Valley PoC Award 🌿 A brilliant mind, a generous mentor, and an unstoppable innovator. The future looks bright, and salty in the best way💚 @itqbnova.bsky.social

We’re excited to welcome Ahsen from Turkey 🇹🇷 as she begins her internship in our lab! 🌍🧪 From airport pickup to first lab introductions, we make sure international students feel at home from day one. Here’s to science, learning, and new friendships! ✨ @itqbnova.bsky.social

We’re excited to welcome Ahsen from Turkey 🇹🇷 as she begins her internship in our lab! 🌍🧪 From airport pickup to first lab introductions, we make sure international students feel at home from day one. Here’s to science, learning, and new friendships! ✨ @itqbnova.bsky.social

Really proud to receive the award of PoC INNOVALLEY for our SaltShield proposal! This supposes a great impulse to bring our lab works to real products, and support agriculture under stress. Specially thanks to the Innovation Office and colleagues of @itqbnova.bsky.social, and all my team!

Happy to participate in the #BIOMEET2025 organized by P-Bio! @itqbnova.bsky.social

Great time at the European Researchers’ Night in Marina de Oeiras! Our iPlantMicro Lab team joined the @itqbnova.bsky.social stand to share our work and talk science with the community!

🌱 Huge shoutout to Ioanna, who is doing an outstanding job evaluating the impact of pesticides on soil microbiota! This is a brand-new line in our lab, and we’re thrilled that she’s leading it. Joanna has integrated seamlessly into the team and truly stands out! @itqbnova.bsky.social

Very proud of you guys! Our lab is dedicated to sharing knowledge widely. Dissemination is central to our mission, from publishing and presenting research to engaging with communities and stakeholders. We believe science has its greatest impact when it reaches/inspires others! @itqbnova.bsky.social

🦠🌱 Today our iPlantMicro lab joins @itqbnova.bsky.social at Santo Amaro Beach for #InternationalMicroorganismDay! 👉 Quizzes, games & demos on plant–microbe interactions 📅 Sept 17 | 🕓 16–19h | 📍 Oeiras Come celebrate microbes with us!

🌱 Yesterday we kicked off the Master in Plant Biology for Sustainable Agriculture at @itqbnova.bsky.social, welcoming new students. We’re especially excited that our students Luana and Daniel from the are joining this edition! Wishing all new students a great journey toward sustainable agriculture!👩🏻‍🌾

Oh nooo, thesis writing is draining the life out of us 😵‍💫 … but hey, we’ve got this! Our master students are about to rock this! 💪😜 @itqbnova.bsky.social @istecnico.bsky.social

These tiny fellas are the ancestors of current tomatoes🍅. We’re exploring how they cope with stress by recruiting beneficial microorganisms! Studying their exudates will help us understand processes weakened in modern crops, helping to develop more resilient plants! @itqbnova.bsky.social

Not just another forgotten spot to many, but for us it holds a special meaning. The dry basin near Guadix, was the very first place where we collected samples for our research. In a way, it’s the lab landmark!Five years later, this small place still carries a big significance😉 @itqbnova.bsky.social

Not a farewell, but a heartfelt “see you soon” 🌱 Sofs & Inês have been true pillars of iPlantMicro Lab— from outstanding Master’s work to shaping our methods & spirit. Your legacy stays with us, always. Best of luck in what comes next 💚 @itqbnova.bsky.social

🔬✨ Retreat done! From inspiring seminars to 🎤, 🥾, vineyard visits 🍇, giant paella 🥘, BBQ nights 🍖, pool fun 🏊‍♀️, and ping pong 🏓 — we shared science, food & laughter. We head back full of energy 🚀💡 and closer than ever 💙 @itqbnova.bsky.social

First anual retreat of the lab! We have tonnes activities to know each other better, shared meals and organization, talk about internships and fellowship for the future, visited Granada, enjoyed games and astronomy night! More seminars, planification, career development and activities to come! 🗓️🌞🦠🌱

Ending August and beginning the next season with this wonderful team 🥹🥹🥹🦠🌾 @itqbnova.bsky.social @istecnico.bsky.social @uam.es

For Science 🧪enthusiasts in #NRW & beyond: our #Research Center @fz-juelich.de is opening it's doors on 07.09.2025. Talk to 👩‍🔬 about the🔬questions addressed here. Try #HandsOn #experiments. More on www.tagderneugier.de/en #TagDerNeugier #TdN25 #STEM #SciComm #ScentificCommunication #PlantScience

🌿✨ August is wrapping up, and we’re so proud of everything our amazing students accomplished this month! Here are some highlights from their journeys: Isaac pushed forward in seed microbiota culturomics and kicked off the exudates assay @itqbnova.bsky.social @uam.es

The ancestors of chickpea (Cicer reticulatum) are on their way! 🌱 These relics can reveal beneficial microbe interactions and guide the design of improved biostimulants.We’re excited to have these little allies supporting projects like endoLEGUME, funded by Fundación "La Caixa" @itqbnova.bsky.social

Summer continues with science! 🌞🧪 Our lab has become a little world of its own, where Portuguese, Spanish, English, Greek, and Nepalese students come together to share space, emotions, and experiences — all while doing science! @itqbnova.bsky.social

We’re welcoming Bárbara and Francisca, high school students joining us through the @cienciaviva.bsky.social program! They’ll dive into microbiology techniques and real lab life—building valuable skills to tackle future challenges. The journey of future scientists begins here! @itqbnova.bsky.social

We’re thrilled to share that our students André and Joana, supported by the GRIPS Fellowship, have completed their research work at Mengcen’s Lab, ZJU (China). Their dedication, hard work, and innovative contributions have earned them a well-deserved award of excellence! @itqbnova.bsky.social

All years in summer we are lucky to host national and international internship in our lab. This experience is great for their career, but we also get new visions, diversity and smiles. Please welcome Ioanna and Madalena! @itqbnova.bsky.social

🎉 Huge shoutout to our amazing bachelor students Catarina & Luana! They absolutely crushed their project defenses, earning an incredible 19/20! 🔥💪 So proud of you both – the future looks bright! 🚀✨! @itqbnova.bsky.social @istecnico.bsky.social

Wrapping up final tests and feeling the nerves as our master’s students complete their journey! Internships are in full swing, and with July coming to a close, we’re excited to welcome August at iPlantMicro lab! @itqbnova.bsky.social

🚨 New paper out! We reveal how Azotobacter chroococcum W5 supports wheat growth and stress tolerance, offering a sustainable tool for agriculture! 🌾🦠 This is a great example of international and multidisciplinary collaboration! 🔗 www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.... @itqbnova.bsky.social

🌱🔬 While the world’s out sunbathing, we’re busy growing ideas! Summer in the lab means long days, greenhouse heat, and experiments in full bloom. From pipettes to plant trays, we’re testing, measuring, and making progress. Science doesn’t take a summer break, and neither do we! @itqbnova.bsky.social