Agriculture in Brazil is a means for promoting significant socioeconomic sustainable progress. However, the productivity of cereal crops such as maize, rice, wheat and sorghum is below their potential. The low availability of phosphorus (P) and inadequate fertilization are some of the major challenges of modern agriculture. In tropical soil, the phosphorus is carried out by adding high dosages of water-soluble phosphates, since most of the added fertilizer becomes unavailable because of fixation process, significantly increasing the production costs. In addition, this nutrient is not renewable. Embrapa has been seeking increased efficiency to acquire P in cereals by exploiting the genetic variability and management practices coupled with interaction with soil microorganisms. Thus, this project aims to define morpho-physiological and genetic characteristics associated with the efficient acquisition and utilization of P in grasses, and thus it is expected that efforts have an impact on the development of genotypes more efficient at acquiring P, with greater adaptability and grain yield in tropical soils.