Designing biofertilizers by mimicking plants' recruitment of rhizospheric partners

BioClub advocates that biofertilizer efficiency (in NUE, plant defence, productivity, food quality) may be much improved if, in addition to microbial agents (fungi and bacteria), the factors that strengthen the symbiotic relations between the partners are also considered in biofertilizer formulation. BioClub will take advantage of well known and characterized PGPMs (Glomus intraradices4 or Piriformospora indica5, and Azospirillum brasilense6) and will focus on the interplay between the microbial agents (fungi and bacteria) and the plant: plant exudome7?8 (wheat varieties), biofilm production6 (natural stimulation and stimulation by autoinducer2like substances), and lifestyle3 (associative versus endophytic), in order to produce an efficient and affordable biofertilizer prototype.

BioClub has a transdisciplinary team with specialists in crop productivity (A de Varennes, Castro Pinto), plantsoil ecology (L Carvalho, A Silva), microbiology (R Tenreiro, M Carolino), environmental impacts of agriculture (MT Dias), molecular biology and plant physiology (A Distelfeld) and NGS techniques (F Caeiro, L Martinez), companies producing synthetic fertilizers (ADP) and biofertilizers (AMC, Soilvitae) and endusers (Cimmyt, Fertiprado, EPP).