Plant metabolomics platform for enhancing crop herbicide tolerance

Overview

This offering leverages plant metabolomics to identify biostimulants and plant elicitors capable of enhancing crop tolerance to herbicide stress, with a particular focus on glyphosate. By profiling the biochemical response of treated plants, the platform enables the selection of natural products such as protein hydrolysates, microorganism-based formulations, and seaweed extracts, individually or in combination, that activate intrinsic plant defense mechanisms without harming the environment. The approach supports sustainable crop management by combining molecular-level insights with physiological performance and food quality assessment.

Technical specifications

Core capabilities:

• Metabolomic profiling of plant responses to herbicide and biostimulant applications
• Screening of biostimulants and elicitors including protein hydrolysates, microbial products, and seaweed extracts
• Analysis of stress-defense pathway activation through modulation of abscisic acid, brassinosteroids, auxins, salicylates, and jasmonates
• Phenolic compound profiling and antioxidant capacity testing for food quality evaluation
• Standard physiological measurements including plant biomass, antioxidant enzyme activity, photosynthesis, and root architecture

Key differentiators:

• Published expertise in metabolomic validation of elicitor and biostimulant potential
• Demonstrated understanding of how crops perceive glyphosate application
• Evidence that herbicide impact on food quality is not necessarily negative, opening new strategic options

Technology readiness level

The research group has published multiple studies validating the metabolomic approach for selecting and confirming biostimulant and elicitor potential. Prior work has characterized crop metabolic reprogramming and hormonal homeostasis changes triggered by herbicides, as well as glyphosate perception in tomato. The next phase will apply this validated methodology to test diverse sustainable products on glyphosate-treated plants, combining metabolomic data with physiological and food quality assessments to deliver actionable strategies for cropping systems.