AGROCHEMICALS robust nitrogen-fixing microbials uses the natural soil-plant process of nitrogen fixation , reducing the reliance on synthetic forms of nitrogen while still meeting the nutrient needs of the crop for its growth and development . The use of these products as part of a balanced crop nutrition plan can help farmers optimise the use of their fertiliser inputs and improve profitability . Some of the major challenges faced by everyone working with microbes are formulation , consistency and compatibility with standard agronomic practices . Microbials have a history of poor consistency and this is a big turn-off for growers . Improved screening methods and developments in formulation are beginning to solve part of this problem ; if the product contains microbes that easily colonise plants and if the formulation maintains survival and efficacy , then it is more likely to have repeatable effects . That said , even if the sensitive microbe survives long enough to make it to the seed , it must then remain active and alive in the presence of any standard chemistries that are also present . Biologicals are not completely replacing all synthetics at this point in time , so identifying treatments that are compatible with harsh chemistries is crucial . One key factor leading to a successful live microbial biostimulant is the ability to colonise plant surfaces . For colonisation research , scientists can add fluorescent proteins to microbial genomes , which are then produced by the cell . These new fluorescent cells can be visually observed on plants and stress-tested in numerous environmental , fieldlike conditions . A robustly plant-colonising microbe will continue to colonise plants as throughout the growing season providing long-lasting benefit to the plant . To screen the collection of genetically diverse microorganisms for robust plant colonisers at BioConsortia , a pipeline has been deployed to create a vast collection of fluorescent-tagged bacteria .
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria ( tagged green ) colonising wheat roots
The future
Continued technology advances and investment in biologicals will drive significant improvements in product efficacy and consistency , discovery programmes , understanding of mode of action and formulation science . Research will probably further incorporate microbiome analysis and DNA sequencing to better our understanding of microbeplant interactions . Given technological progress and more research , there is huge potential to enhance plant-breeding efforts and improve plant traits . Integrating biologicals with chemistries and traits will further bolster this potential , so developing microbial products that have compatibility with traditional practices should be a main target . BioConsortia is using directed selection to discover microbial consortia products , or teams of microbes that perform complementary functions , with improved efficacy and consistency in the field . Nitrogen use efficiency is already in their pipeline , along with drought and cold tolerance , biotic resistance , and general growth improvement . Next , researchers at BioConsortia are aiming to create gene-edited microbes , capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen to provide massive amounts of available nitrogen to plants thus offsetting the reliance solely on synthetic fertiliser . Not only will these biofertilisers coalesce with the changing environmental and regulatory landscape , they will be compatible with traditional agricultural practices , requiring minimal additional effort from growers . •
J j
Marcus Meadows-Smith
CEO
BIOCONSORTIA mmeadowssmith @ bioconsortia . com www . bioconsortia . com
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