DAY 3 - CET (Central European Time, GMT+01:00)
DAY 3 - CET (Central European Time, GMT+01:00)
- Patrick Brown (Scientific Committee Co-Chair) - Distinguished Professor, University of California, Davis
- Mirjam Pulleman (Keynote Speaker) - Senior Soil Scientist, CIAT & Wageningen University
- Abdelrahman Alahmad - Scientific Researcher, Unilasalle
Plant Biostimulants provide many benefits which make agriculture more sustainable. Biostimulants have been shown to improve the uptake and use of nutrients within the plant, select for quality traits, aid in water use by the plant, provide resilience to abiotic stress, and stimulate plant microbiomes1. FBSciences has conducted a series of trials examining the impact of the utilization of multiple plant biostimulants on the soil microbiome. A study was carried out in 2022 on corn using evaluate the effects of a nitrogen assimilating microbial consortia (MC) alone and with the addition of a foliar-applied carbon-based biostimulant (CBB)2. Soil analysis of the untreated control, the MC alone, and then the MC plus the CBB showed a consistent increase in agriculturally helpful microbes. The increase in nutritional microbial, which include microbes that assimilate or solubilize N, P, K, B, Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, Mo, S, Si, and Zn, was increased. At the same time, the level of heavy metal oxidizer microbials was moved to acceptable levels.In 2023 a trial was carried out on strawberries with a different MC containing nitrogen-assimilating microbes. It was applied as a stand-alone, paired with the CBB, and the CBB was evaluated by itself. The preliminary data shows that the agriculturally helpful microbes are enriched by combining biostimulants. Early marketable yield was also increased. The data indicate that multiple and different applications of biostimulants can enrich the soil microbiome. The microbiome of agricultural crops may be enhanced by using different application techniques with a variety of biostimulants.
- Kristen Richards - Director R&D, FBSciences
Besides benefiting soil health, some microorganisms can improve the phosphorus (P) use efficiency in the soil-plant system, a nutrient essential for root system development. Thus, this research aimed to evaluate the root variables, the P accumulation in the sugarcane shoot, and the soil microbiological indicators under the inoculation of Bacillus velezensis UFV 3918 (Bv) (equivalent to 108 CFU mL–1) combined with mono ammonium phosphate (MAP) doses. The greenhouse experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, consisting of six treatments [AC – absolute control, CC – commercial control (recommended dose of MAP – 3/3 MAP), Bv, Bv+1/3 MAP; Bv+2/3 MAP, and Bv+3/3 MAP] and four replicates. Root dry matter mass (RDM), root length (RL) and volume (RV), P accumulation (Pac), P uptake per RL (PuRL), basal soil respiration (BSR), and acid phosphatase (AP) activity were evaluated at 180 days after planting. Bv increased RDM, RL, and RV by 22.2%, 26.7%, and 30.5%, respectively, compared to CC. In addition, Bv provided increases of 11.5% and 10% in BSR and AP activity, respectively, compared to CC, and these factors contributed to the higher Pac (11.1%) in relation to CC. In general, inoculated treatments showed higher PuRL. BSR increased as MAP doses increased, while root growth and AP activity showed behaviors inversely proportional to P availability due to the presence of the strain UFV 3918. Thus, the inoculation with B. velezensis UFV 3918 allowed the reduction of the MAP dose without impairing the root growth and the P accumulation in the sugarcane shoot.
- Hariane Luiz Santos - PhD Student, Sao Paulo State University
- Sara García Figuera - EBIC Secretariat, Prospero & Partners
While our climate becomes more unpredictable and unstable for safe and profitable agricultural production, innovative tools appear to aid farmers overcome current challenges. Biostimulation is part of this toolkit of sustainable practices addressed to, among other benefits, stimulate plant natural processes to enhance their tolerance to abiotic stresses.
Along the years, Tradecorp International has been stablishing long-term collaborations with institutions like Queen’s University of Belfast, University of Milan, and Italian research centre Agricola 2000, with the aim of developing in-depth analysis on the mode of action of different biostimulants to confront abiotic stresses such as hypoxia, salinity, drought, and heat stress. Through preventive and curative strategies, applications of several biostimulants based on seaweed extracts (SE), protein hydrolysates (PH) and bacterial-fermented extracts (BFE) were evaluated using plant model species as target crops. Advanced omic methodologies were used to provide understanding on the molecular changes occurring in plants with and without the use of biostimulation. Main results of phenotypical and biochemical analyses revealed a common increased capacity of the use of biostimulants on preventing or mitigating reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage in the plant caused by the different stress conditions imposed. Whereas gene expression and transcriptomic analysis allowed to shed some light onto plant’s mechanisms of adaptation and signalling pathways that promote tolerance to these abiotic stresses.
- Santiago Laserna - Technical Director, Grupo Atlántica
Global and especially European agriculture is turning towards a green horizon by incorporating solutions that reduce and ensure the uptake of traditional fertilizers and improve plant fitness. During the intervention, the path followed for the correct selection of microbial consortia aimed at crop biostimulation and nitrogen fixation by the crop canopy will be discussed:
- Microbial Consortia versus Single-Strain Inoculants.
- What are the canopy endophytes and epiphytes capabilities?
- Biostimulant action of canopy microbial consortia.
- How can this innovation help tackle the challenge of climate change?
- Melanie Bressan - Researcher, Unilasalle
The application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is often reported to increase crop yield and food quality. Despite the growing number of studies, beneficial effects of AMF on crops are plant-specific, thus generating an obstacle to their field application. This study aimed at investigating the role of the application of a local AMF consortium [1] on productivity of five wheat genotypes and quality of transformed products. The establishment of the introduced AMF were characterized within wheat roots.A two-year field experiment was carried out in Siena (Italy) with four old wheat genotypes and the modern variety Bologna, and AMF inoculation (with AMF; a mock inoculated control). Inoculum was applied by seed coating. The experiment design was completely randomized with three replicate plots. Grain yield and macro- and micronutrient concentration in grain were assessed. AMF diversity was characterized by Illumina MiSeq. Technological properties, total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) were assessed on flour and breadsticks.Grain yield and nutrient concentration were positively affected by AMF inoculation in several wheat genotypes. A large variability in response to AMF inoculation was found among genotypes and years of cultivation. Flour technological properties of Bologna were positively affected by inoculation. ORAC in the flour of Bianco Nostrale and Andriolo was increased by inoculation. Similarly, TPC and ORAC in breadsticks was promoted by AMF inoculation in Bianco Nostrale. These results suggest the importance of selecting highly responsive genotypes and considering environmental conditions to reach a positive wheat AMF inoculation outcome.
- Valentina Marrassini - PhD Student, Crop Science Research Center, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
- Patrick Brown (Scientific Committee Co-Chair) - Distinguished Professor, University of California, Davis