Periodic Reporting for period 2 - INTERFUTURE (From microbial interactions to new-concept biopesticides and biofertilizers)
Período documentado: 2018-12-01 hasta 2021-05-31
The project includes eleven beneficiaries and three partner organizations from seven countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and United Kingdom) and they include six universities (University of Molise, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, University of Nottingham, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne and University of Trento), two research centres (Fondazione Edmund Mach and New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited) and six industrial partners (Azotic Technologies Ltd, BioBest, Biological Products for Agriculture-BIPA, De Ceuster Meststoffen NV, E-NEMA Gesellschaft für Biotechnologie und Biologischen Pflanzenschutz GmbH and Inoq GmbH).
During the first reporting period, new rhizosphere-associated bacteria were isolated and their plant growth promoting activities were characterized in an innovative work-flow diagram, in order to easily select marketable biostimulants. Likewise, a collection of bacterial endophytes was screened and strains able to promote plant growth and to ameliorate plant tolerance against abiotic stresses were identified and subjected to further functional characterization and industrial development. Promising products previously developed by the industrial partners were characterised during the first reporting period and mechanisms of plant-endophyte interaction and pathogen growth inhibition were investigated by functional and molecular analyses. These results indicated the high value of these innovative products that will be further developed as a novel bacterial biostimulant and an anti-nutritional biopesticide. In addition, the role of microbial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as innovative tools to control plant pathogens and to attract insects was characterized. In particular, bacterial VOCs with antagonistic activity against soil borne phytopathogenic microorganisms were identified and the effect of bacterial VOCs in the perception mechanisms of insects was characterized. Studies of substrate effects on bacterial VOC production and insect behaviour upon VOC exposure are in progress in order to better understand metabolite and functional properties of VOC-based products. Further research activities are planned with academic and industrial partners for the scaling-up, field validation and product development during the second part of the industrial doctorates. The strong interaction between the academic and industrial sector of this project will also create a fast channel for the industrialization of new-frontier ideas and guide academic research towards more specific industrial research needs.