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Amid growing environmental concerns and the imperative for sustainable agricultural practices, this study examines the potential of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria as biofertilizers, particularly in cotton cultivation. The reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers (SNFs), prevalent in modern agriculture, poses significant environmental challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions and water system contamination. This research aims to shift this paradigm by exploring the capacity of cyanobacteria as a natural and sustainable alternative. Utilizing advanced metabarcoding methods to analyze the 16S rRNA gene, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of soil bacterial communities within cotton fields. This study focused on evaluating the diversity, structure, taxonomic composition, and potential functional characteristics of these communities. Emphasis was placed on the isolation of native N2-fixing cyanobacteria strains rom cotton soils, and their subsequent effects on cotton growth. Results from our study demonstrate significant plant growth-promoting (PGP) activities, measured as N2 fixation, production of Phytohormones, Fe solubilization and biofertilization potential of five isolated cyanobacterial strains, underscoring their efficacy in cotton. These findings suggest a viable pathway for replacing chemical-synthetic nitrogen fertilizers with natural, organic alternatives. The reintegration of these beneficial species into agricultural ecosystems can enhance crop growth while fostering a balanced microbial environment, thus contributing to the broader goals of global sustainable agriculture.

Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria from the order Nostocales are able to establish symbiotic relationships with diverse plant species. They are promiscuous symbionts, as the same strain of cyanobacterium is able to form symbiotic biological nitrogen-fixing relationships with different plants species. This review will focus on the different types of cyanobacterial-plant associations, both endophytic and epiphytic, and provide insights from a structural viewpoint, as well as our current understanding of the mechanisms involved in the symbiotic crosstalk. In all these symbioses, the benefit for the plant is clear; it obtains from the cyanobacterium fixed nitrogen and other bioactive compounds, such as phytohormones, polysaccharides, siderophores, or vitamins, leading to enhanced plant growth and productivity. Additionally, there is increasing use of different cyanobacterial species as bio-inoculants for biological nitrogen fixation to improve soil fertility and crop production, thus providing an eco-friendly, alternative, and sustainable approach to reduce the over-reliance on synthetic chemical fertilizers.

Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria from the order Nostocales are able to establish symbiotic relationships with diverse plant species. They are promiscuous symbionts, as the same strain of cyanobacterium is able to form symbiotic biological nitrogen-fixing relationships with different plants species. This review will focus on the different types of cyanobacterial-plant associations, both endophytic and epiphytic, and provide insights from a structural viewpoint, as well as our current understanding of the mechanisms involved in the symbiotic crosstalk. In all these symbioses, the benefit for the plant is clear; it obtains from the cyanobacterium fixed nitrogen and other bioactive compounds, such as phytohormones, polysaccharides, siderophores, or vitamins, leading to enhanced plant growth and productivity. Additionally, there is increasing use of different cyanobacterial species as bio-inoculants for biological nitrogen fixation to improve soil fertility and crop production, thus providing an eco-friendly, alternative, and sustainable approach to reduce the over-reliance on synthetic chemical fertilizers.

The exponential growth of the population, the trend towards organic food consumption and the increasingly restrictive regulations imposed by the European Union are forcing the agricultural sector to evolve towards more sustainable practices that are less harmful to the environment. In addition to these challenges, farmers need to cope with other biotic and abiotic factors affecting plant productivity, such as drought, diseases and pests. To that end, biotechnological approaches to obtain food in a sustainable way are being explored. The lower Guadalquivir region, at the South of Spain, contains the largest area devoted to intensive agriculture practices in Andalusia. This region faces two main problems, which are high salinity in irrigation water and N contamination by synthetic fertilizers (Paredes et al., 2020). In this work we provide two different biotechnological approaches to address these problems: 1) We have characterized salt resistance in nine rice varieties that are being cultivated in the Guadalquivir paddies. This analysis has been complemented through morphological, physiological and biochemical approaches, using analytical methods such as HPLC and mass chromatography, among others. We have identified metabolites that are overproduced in salt stress conditions and might be used for the early detection of salt stress in the plant. A comparative analysis of the different rice varieties analysed provided valued information about the different tolerance to salt. 2) In order to reduce the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, we tested three bioinoculants that had been previously isolated from cotton soils. First, we characterized them biochemically for the PGPR activities, comprising N2 fixation and production of plant phytohormones. Effectiveness of these bioinoculants was assayed in microcosms experiments. We found a significant plant growth stimulation in two of the three bioinoculants evaluated.

¿Es posible combinar ficción y educación? ¿Aumentará la motivación en los estudiantes si lo conseguimos? El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar y comprender el término de gamificación y más concretamente entender cuál será la forma correcta de aplicar este marco metodológico a la práctica dentro del área de la Educación Física mediante actividades realizadas sobre patines de ruedas. Para cumplir con el objetivo, previamente se ha realizado un marco teórico a partir de una revisión exhaustiva de la bibliografía relacionada. Esta fundamentación me ha permitido diseñar el proyecto de innovación denominado Juego de Tronos – El Patín de Hierro, el cual pretende llevarse a cabo dentro de la unidad didáctica de patinaje sobre ruedas en Educación Física dentro del currículo de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria. Se presenta como una gamificación cuya temática estará basada en la serie Juego de Tronos con el fin de aumentar la motivación de los estudiantes a los que va dirigido la propuesta.