UAI researchers will carry out a study on microorganisms that accelerate plant growth with a view to strengthening sustainable agriculture in Chile

Academics from the Faculty of Engineering and Sciences of the Adolfo Ibáñez University were awarded a FONDECYT project to investigate microorganisms for 4 years that could help improve the productivity of different agricultural crops in the future. Depending on the plant, more than 50% of production costs in medium-sized agriculture are associated with the use of agrochemicals, so the use of products of biological origin could give competitive advantages to farmers, contributing to a more sustainable industry.

Academics from the Faculty of Engineering and Science of the Adolfo Ibáñez University (UAI) have just been awarded a 4-year FONDECYT Regular project for the investigation of microorganisms that are considered beneficial for plants and are known as PGPR or growth-promoting rhizobacteria. plant growth.

These microorganisms have attractive capacities for the agricultural sector, such as accelerating plant growth or improving their tolerance to environmental stresses and pests. The researchers involved are Bernardo Gonzalez, PhD in Biological Sciences and principal investigator of the project; and the co-investigators, Mary Josephine PoupinY Thomas Ledgerboth doctors in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology.

Just like the human being, who lives with an essential intestinal microbiota to fulfill different biological functions, plants have a microbiota in their tissues, which is made up of bacteria and other microorganisms. Part of these microorganisms are known as PGPR and affect different functions in plants, through mechanisms that are not yet well understood.

Despite the fact that studies of PGPR and its agricultural use are long-standing, Bernardo González explains that there is still much to learn about this type of microorganism and its application in industry. In this project, which will be carried out using the plant Arabidopsis thaliana As a model, we will seek to understand how is the interaction between a PGPR with the rest of the microorganisms that are already associated with the plant. This study will make it possible to make the effect of the introduction of PGPR more efficient, either to accelerate the growth of the plant, and/or to protect it from some stress (hydric, temperature, salinity, among others).

«Stimulate the growth and health of crops, using less synthetic agrochemicals and more nature-based solutionsis one more step towards a sustainable agriculturethat coexists in a better way with the environment and that at the same time delivers competitive advantages to farmers. To do this, science must discover the mechanisms and operation of this type of products of biological origin so that they can effectively compete with agrochemicals of synthetic origin”, says the UAI academic.

Statistics indicate that, depending on the plant, even up to only one third of the crops planted finally reach the market and that, for a good number of crops, more than 50% of the production costs in medium-sized agriculture are associated with the use of agrochemicals. This indicates that there is room for the use of certain PGPR to increase production in a cost-effective manner, and significantly decrease the use of agrochemicals of synthetic origin.

The research has an obvious deliverable for fundamental science, providing valuable knowledge to understand how different organisms interact in nature, but it will also provide useful information to innovate in agriculture in a sustainable way, both for the savings in nutrient costs and in the prevention of losses due to pathogens, with surprising results in the national economy»Gonzalez finished.