Dr Bruna Durante Batista
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences
Researcher biography
I am a plant scientist working at the interface between microbiology, agriculture, and applied research. My work focuses on designing and interpreting experimental systems that translate complex biological processes into practical solutions for agriculture, from herbicide discovery to microbial-based disease control and other sustainable agricultural solutions. I work across laboratory, glasshouse, and field environments, integrating experimental design, microbiome science, and interdisciplinary collaboration to address real-world agricultural challenges. I am particularly interested in building bridges between fundamental research and application, helping translate science into scalable, practical outcomes.
Book Chapters
Batista, Bruna D., Bonatelli, Maria Leticia and Quecine, Maria Carolina (2021). Fast screening of bacteria for plant growth promoting traits. The plant microbiome. (pp. 61-75) edited by Lilia C. Carvalhais and Paul G. Dennis. New York, NY, United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1040-4_7
Weigh, Katherine V., Batista, Bruna D. and Dennis, Paul G. (2020). A bait-trap assay to characterize soil microbes that exhibit chemotaxis to root exudates. The plant microbiome: methods and protocols. (pp. 283-289) edited by Lilia C. Carvalhais and Paul G. Dennis. New York, NY USA: Humana New York. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1040-4_21
Romão-Dumaresq, Aline Silva, Franco, Henrique Coutinho Junqueira, Borges, Bernardo Melo Montes Nogueira, Batista, Bruna Durante and Quecine, Maria Carolina (2017). Beneficial microorganisms associated with sugarcane crops: the green gold for clean energy. Diversity and benefits of microorganisms from the tropics. (pp. 313-339) edited by João Lucio de Azevedo and Maria Carolina Quecine. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-55804-2_14
Durante Batista, Bruna, de Almeida, Jaqueline Raquel, Bezerra, Thana Esashika, de Azevedo, Joao Lucio and Quecine, Maria Carolina (2017). Describing the unexplored microorganisms associated with guarana: a typical tropical plant. Diversity and benefits of microorganisms from the tropics. (pp. 293-312) edited by João Lucio de Azevedo and Maria Carolina Quecine. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-55804-2_13
Journal Articles
Singh, Pankaj K., Martins, Catarina S. C., Jayaramaiah, Ramesha H., Egidi, Eleonora, Macdonald, Catriona, Wang, Juntao, Xiong, Chao, Batista, Bruna, Qui, Galaxy, Reich, Peter B., Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel and Singh, Brajesh K. (2026). Leaf microbiome assembly is linked to plant phylogeny. Plant and Soil. doi: 10.1007/s11104-026-08318-9
Houston, Sevan D., Batista, Bruna D., McGregor, Sarah K. M., Lin, Xin, Whitefield, Cassidy, Xing, Hui, Stone, Isobella S. J., Murray, Cody-Ellen, Hurst, Rebecca M., Su, Chuyi, Lonhienne, Thierry, Bernhardt, Paul V., Savage, G. Paul, Walter, Gimme H., Guddat, Luke W., Rafter, Michelle A. and Williams, Craig M. (2025). Synthesis of cube-2,4-D, cube-3,4-D and cube-4-D, and their herbicidal assessment against Cryptostegia grandiflora (rubber vine). Australian Journal of Chemistry, 78 (12) CH25127. doi: 10.1071/ch25127
Xing, Hui, McGregor, Sarah K. M., Batista, Bruna D., Whitefield, Cassidy, Stone, Isobella S. J., Murray, Cody-Ellen, Hurst, Rebecca M., Liu, Yizhou, Chow, Sharon, Fahrenhorst-Jones, Tyler, Zhao, Qi, Houston, Sevan D., Hu, Shu-Hong, Lonhienne, Thierry, Nouwens, Amanda, Burns, Jed M., Savage, G. Paul, Walter, Gimme H., Guddat, Luke W., Rafter, Michelle A. and Williams, Craig M. (2025). In search of herbistasis: COT-metsulfuron methyl displays rare herbistatic properties. Chemical Science, 16 (2), 649-658. doi: 10.1039/d4sc06923d
Batista, Bruna D., Wang, Juntao, Liu, Hongwei, Kaur, Simranjit, Macdonald, Catriona A., Qiu, Zhiguang, Trivedi, Pankaj, Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel, Xiong, Chao, Liang, Jinsong, Bange, Michael and Singh, Brajesh K. (2024). Biotic and abiotic responses to soilborne pathogens and environmental predictors of soil health. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 189 109246, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109246
Weigh, Katherine V., Batista, Bruna D., Hoang, Huong and Dennis, Paul G. (2023). Characterisation of soil bacterial communities that exhibit chemotaxis to root exudates from phosphorus-limited plants. Microorganisms, 11 (12) 2984, 1-12. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11122984
Yan, Zhen-Zhen, Wang, Juntao, Liang, Jinsong, Batista, Bruna D., Liu, Hongwei, Xiong, Chao, Kaur, Simranjit, Macdonald, Catriona A. and Singh, Brajesh K. (2023). Evidence of distinct response of soil viral community to a plant infection and the disease pathobiome. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment, 2 (4), 382-387. doi: 10.1002/sae2.12079
May, Andre, Coelho, Luciana Fontes, Pedrinho, Alexandre, Durante Batista, Bruna, Mendes, Lucas William, Mendes, Rodrigo, Boechat Morandi, Marcelo Augusto, Barth, Gabriel, Viana, Ronaldo Silva and Dias Vilela, Elke Simoni (2023). The use of indigenous bacterial community as inoculant for plant growth promotion in soybean cultivation. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science, 69 (1), 135-150. doi: 10.1080/03650340.2021.1964017
May, André, Silva, Evandro Henrique Figueiredo Moura da, Vieira Junior, Nilson Aparecido, Vilela, Elke Simoni Dias, Santos, Michelli de Souza dos, Coelho, Luciana Fontes, Pedrinho, Alexandre, Batista, Bruna Durante and Viana, Ronaldo da Silva (2023). Soybean extracts can improve plant development. Scientia Agricola, 80 e20210102. doi: 10.1590/1678-992x-2021-0102
Batista, Bruna D. and Singh, Brajesh K. (2023). Next generation tools for crop-microbiome manipulation to mitigate the impact of climate change. Environmental Microbiology, 25 (1), 105-110. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.16231
Figueredo, Everthon Fernandes, da Cruz, Thiago Angelo, Almeida, Jaqueline Raquel de, Durante Batista, Bruna, Marcon, Joelma, Andrade, Pedro Avelino Maia de, Hayashibara, Carolina Alessandra de Almeida, Rosa, Mauricio Santos, Azevedo, Joao Lucio and Quecine, Maria Carolina (2022). The key role of indole-3-acetic acid biosynthesis by Bacillus thuringiensis RZ2MS9 in promoting maize growth revealed by the ipdC gene knockout mediated by the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Microbiological Research, 266 127218, 127218. doi: 10.1016/j.micres.2022.127218
Qiu, Zhiguang, Verma, Jay Prakash, Liu, Hongwei, Wang, Juntao, Batista, Bruna D., Kaur, Simranjit, Pereira, Arthur Prudencio de Araujo, Macdonald, Catriona A., Trivedi, Pankaj, Weaver, Tim, Conaty, Warren C., Tissue, David T. and Singh, Brajesh K. (2022). Response of the plant core microbiome to Fusarium oxysporum infection and identification of the pathobiome. Environmental Microbiology, 24 (10), 4652-4669. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.16194
Trivedi, Pankaj, Batista, Bruna D., Bazany, Kathryn E. and Singh, Brajesh K. (2022). Plant–microbiome interactions under a changing world: responses, consequences and perspectives. New Phytologist, 234 (6), 1951-1959. doi: 10.1111/nph.18016
Ferrarezi, Jessica Aparecida, Carvalho-Estrada, Paula De Almeida, Durante Batista, Bruna, Aniceto, Rafael Martins, Prohmann Tschoeke, Bruno Augusto, de Maia Andrade, Pedro Avelino, Lopes, Bruna de Moura, Bonatelli, Maria Leticia, Odisi, Estacio Jussie, Azevedo, Joao Lucio and Quecine, Maria Carolina (2022). Effects of inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria from the Brazilian Amazon on the bacterial community associated with maize in field. Applied Soil Ecology, 170 104297, 104297. doi: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2021.104297
de Almeida, Jaqueline Raquel, Bonatelli, Maria Leticia, Durante Batista, Bruna, Teixeira-Silva, Natalia Sousa, Mondin, Mateus, dos Santos, Rafaela Cristina, Bento, Jose Mauricio Simoes, de Almeida Hayashibara, Carolina Alessandra, Azevedo, Joao Lucio and Quecine, Maria Carolina (2021). Bacillus thuringiensis RZ2MS9, a tropical plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium, colonizes maize endophytically and alters the plant's production of volatile organic compounds during co-inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense Ab-V5. Environmental Microbiology Reports, 13 (6), 812-821. doi: 10.1111/1758-2229.13004
Batista, Bruna D. and Singh, Brajesh K. (2021). Realities and hopes in the application of microbial tools in agriculture. Microbial Biotechnology, 14 (4), 1258-1268. doi: 10.1111/1751-7915.13866
Durante Batista, Bruna, Dourado, Manuella Nobrega, Figueredo, Everthon Fernandes, Hortencio, Renata Ockner, Marques, Joao Paulo Rodrigues, Piotto, Fernando Angelo, Bonatelli, Maria Leticia, Settles, Matthew L., Azevedo, Joao Lucio and Quecine, Maria Carolina (2021). The auxin-producing Bacillus thuringiensis RZ2MS9 promotes the growth and modifies the root architecture of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro-Tom). Archives of Microbiology, 203 (7), 3869-3882. doi: 10.1007/s00203-021-02361-z
Bonatelli, Maria Leticia, Tsui, Sarina, Durante Batista, Bruna, Dourado, Manuella Nobrega, Kitajima, Elliot Watanabe, Andreote, Fernando Dini, Pylro, Victor Satler, Pereira, Jose Odair, de Azevedo, Joao Lucio and Quecine, Maria Carolina (2019). Bacterial communities associated with anthracnose symptomatic and asymptomatic leaves of guarana, an endogenous tropical crop, and their pathogen antagonistic effects. Archives of Microbiology, 201 (8), 1061-1073. doi: 10.1007/s00203-019-01677-1
Durante Batista, Bruna, Lacava, Paulo Teixeira, Ferrari, Andrea, Teixeira-Silva, Natalia Sousa, Bonatelli, Maria Leticia, Tsui, Sarina, Mondin, Mateus, Kitajima, Elliot Watanabe, Pereira, Jose Odair, Azevedo, Joao Ludo and Quecine, Maria Carolina (2018). Screening of tropically derived, multi-trait plant growth- promoting rhizobacteria and evaluation of corn and soybean colonization ability. Microbiological Research, 206, 33-42. doi: 10.1016/j.micres.2017.09.007
Durante Batista, Bruna, Taniguti, Lucas Mitsuo, Almeida, Jaqueline Raquel, Azevedo, Joao Lucio and Quecine, Maria Carolina (2016). Draft genome sequence of multitrait plant growth-promoting Bacillus sp. strain RZ2MS9. Genome Announcements, 4 (6) e01402-16, 1-2. doi: 10.1128/genomea.01402-16
Durante Batista, Bruna, Taniguti, Lucas Mitsuo, Monteiro-Vitorello, Claudia Barros, Azevedo, Joao Lucio and Quecine, Maria Carolina (2016). Draft genome sequence of Burkholderia ambifaria RZ2MS16, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium isolated from guarana, a tropical plant. Genome Announcements, 4 (2) e00125-16, 1-2. doi: 10.1128/genomea.00125-16
Bonatelli, M. L., Tsui, S., Marcon, J., Batista, B. D., Kitajima, E. W., Pereira, J. O., Azevedo, J. L. and Quecine, M. C. (2016). Antagonistic activity of fungi from anthracnose lesions on Paullinia cupana against colletotrichum sp. Journal of Plant Pathology: rivista di patologia vegetale, 98 (2), 197-205. doi: 10.4454/JPP.V98I2.029
Castro, Renata A., Quecine, Maria Carolina, Lacava, Paulo T., Batista, Bruna D., Luvizotto, Danice M., Marcon, Joelma, Ferreira, Anderson, Melo, Itamar S. and Azevedo, Joao L. (2014). Isolation and enzyme bioprospection of endophytic bacteria associated with plants of Brazilian mangrove ecosystem. SpringerPlus, 3 382, 1-9. doi: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-382