Ana Isabel Jorge Reis

Ms. Ana Isabel Jorge Reis

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

3Years (2024-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
1 September 2024 in Plants
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Mafalda TrovãoMafalda Trovão
Mafalda Trovão
LSLisa Schüler
Lisa Schüler
HPHumberto Pedroso
Humberto Pedroso
ARAna Isabel Jorge Reis
Ana Isabel Jorge Reis
Gonçalo Moisés Simões Espírito SantoGonçalo Moisés Simões Espírito Santo
Gonçalo Moisés Simões Espírito Santo
HPHugo Pereira
Hugo Pereira
Microalgae are a promising feedstock with proven biostimulant activity that is enhanced by their biochemical components (e.g., amino acids and phytohormones), which turns them into an appealing feedstock to reduce the use of fertilisers in agriculture and improve crop productivity and resilience. Thus, this work aimed to isolate protein-rich microalgal mutants with increased biostimulant activity. Random mutagenesis was performed with Chlorella vulgaris, and a selection of protein-rich mutants were sorted through fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), resulting in the isolation of 17 protein-rich mutant strains with protein contents 19–34% higher than that of the wildtype (WT). Furthermore, mutant F4 displayed a 38%, 22% and 62% higher biomass productivity, growth rate and chlorophyll content, respectively. This mutant was then scaled up to a 7 L benchtop reactor to produce biomass and evaluate the biostimulant potential of this novel strain towards garden cress seeds. Compared to water (control), the germination index and the relative total growth increased by 7% and 19%, respectively, after the application of 0.1 g L−1 of this bioproduct, which highlights its biostimulant potential.