Microbial consortia for enhancing sustainable agriculture

Overview

The proposed solution focuses on engineering microbial consortia combined with bioactive compounds and advanced delivery systems to enhance sustainable agriculture. By stabilizing and improving crop yields, this innovative approach aims to improve soil health, combat soil-borne pests, and enhance plant health. This solution is designed to significantly impact global sustainable agriculture by delivering practical and effective solutions that meet farmers' needs.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• Utilizes beneficial bacterial strains identified from substances such as molasses and mustard meal.
• Employs metagenomic fragment recruitment, metabolite profiling, and pairwise culture compatibility assessments.
• Incorporates prebiotic effects from bioactive compounds to support microbial consortia.
• Evaluates plant-pathogen-microbiome interactions in greenhouse and field conditions.

Applications:

• Enhances soil health and plant yields in crops like tomatoes and strawberries.
• Provides a bio-based alternative for pest management and crop quality enhancement.
• Aims to understand and address farmers' needs for consistent efficacy, product stability, and quality.

Technology readiness level

This technology is at TRL 5, indicating that it has been validated in relevant environments but requires further testing and development to reach commercial viability. Future plans include large-scale metagenome fragment recruitments and field testing to ensure consistent product performance.