Microbial biostimulant discovery service for row crop nutrient uptake and yield enhancement

Overview

FungiAlert provides a microbial discovery and biostimulant candidate development service aimed at improving nutrient uptake efficiency and yield in row crops such as maize and wheat. Using its proprietary SporSenZ passive in-field sampling technology, FungiAlert captures fungi, oomycetes, and yeasts that are active and dominant during the early stages of the crop cycle. The resulting microbial library is screened through genomic characterisation and in-vitro activity assays to isolate candidates with phosphate solubilisation and plant growth promotion traits. The service is designed to support partners seeking novel biological inputs for seed coatings, soil amendments, or integrated nutrient management programmes.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• SporSenZ in-field sampling — passive samplers deployed directly in row crop soils to capture microbes active at early crop growth stages, including those suited to seed coating applications
• Targeted microbial library construction — collection of fungi, oomycetes, and yeasts from fields with varying soil profiles and input regimes, enabling isolation of strains adapted to different agronomic conditions
• Genomic characterisation — sequencing-based identification and functional profiling of isolates to confirm taxonomic identity and relevant nutrient uptake and plant growth promotion traits
• In-vitro activity screening — laboratory assays for phosphate solubilisation, nitrogen assimilation regulation, and general plant growth promotion to rank candidate performance
• Glasshouse validation — small-scale pot and growth chamber trials to confirm efficacy before scale-up
• Fermentation and formulation pathway — downstream support for developing candidates into commercial biostimulant products

Technology readiness level

The SporSenZ sampling approach and downstream screening workflow have been validated in a small-scale study across maize and wheat fields, where 32 beneficial isolates and 16 additional isolates of biotechnological interest were recovered. Several candidates are linked in the peer-reviewed literature to nitrogen uptake regulation or phosphate solubilisation, and these are currently progressing through glasshouse trials. The next planned validation step expands sampling to 50 SporSenZ units across diverse soil profiles, with continued genomic and in-vitro characterisation to refine the candidate pipeline toward fermentation, formulation, and field-scale product development.