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Li J, Lardon R, Mangelinckx S, Geelen D. A practical guide to the discovery of biomolecules with biostimulant activity. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:3797-3817. [PMID: 38630561 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
The growing demand for sustainable solutions in agriculture, which are critical for crop productivity and food quality in the face of climate change and the need to reduce agrochemical usage, has brought biostimulants into the spotlight as valuable tools for regenerative agriculture. With their diverse biological activities, biostimulants can contribute to crop growth, nutrient use efficiency, and abiotic stress resilience, as well as to the restoration of soil health. Biomolecules include humic substances, protein lysates, phenolics, and carbohydrates have undergone thorough investigation because of their demonstrated biostimulant activities. Here, we review the process of the discovery and development of extract-based biostimulants, and propose a practical step-by-step pipeline that starts with initial identification of biomolecules, followed by extraction and isolation, determination of bioactivity, identification of active compound(s), elucidation of mechanisms, formulation, and assessment of effectiveness. The different steps generate a roadmap that aims to expedite the transfer of interdisciplinary knowledge from laboratory-scale studies to pilot-scale production in practical scenarios that are aligned with the prevailing regulatory frameworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- HortiCell, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Robin Lardon
- HortiCell, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sven Mangelinckx
- SynBioC, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Danny Geelen
- HortiCell, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Nkebiwe PM, Stevens Lekfeldt JD, Symanczik S, Thonar C, Mäder P, Bar-Tal A, Halpern M, Biró B, Bradáčová K, Caniullan PC, Choudhary KK, Cozzolino V, Di Stasio E, Dobczinski S, Geistlinger J, Lüthi A, Gómez-Muñoz B, Kandeler E, Kolberg F, Kotroczó Z, Kulhanek M, Mercl F, Tamir G, Moradtalab N, Piccolo A, Maggio A, Nassal D, Szalai MZ, Juhos K, Fora CG, Florea A, Poşta G, Lauer KF, Toth B, Tlustoš P, Mpanga IK, Weber N, Weinmann M, Yermiyahu U, Magid J, Müller T, Neumann G, Ludewig U, de Neergaard A. Effectiveness of bio-effectors on maize, wheat and tomato performance and phosphorus acquisition from greenhouse to field scales in Europe and Israel: a meta-analysis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1333249. [PMID: 38628362 PMCID: PMC11020074 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1333249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Biostimulants (Bio-effectors, BEs) comprise plant growth-promoting microorganisms and active natural substances that promote plant nutrient-acquisition, stress resilience, growth, crop quality and yield. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of BEs, particularly under field conditions, appears highly variable and poorly quantified. Using random model meta-analyses tools, we summarize the effects of 107 BE treatments on the performance of major crops, mainly conducted within the EU-funded project BIOFECTOR with a focus on phosphorus (P) nutrition, over five years. Our analyses comprised 94 controlled pot and 47 field experiments under different geoclimatic conditions, with variable stress levels across European countries and Israel. The results show an average growth/yield increase by 9.3% (n=945), with substantial differences between crops (tomato > maize > wheat) and growth conditions (controlled nursery + field (Seed germination and nursery under controlled conditions and young plants transplanted to the field) > controlled > field). Average crop growth responses were independent of BE type, P fertilizer type, soil pH and plant-available soil P (water-P, Olsen-P or Calcium acetate lactate-P). BE effectiveness profited from manure and other organic fertilizers, increasing soil pH and presence of abiotic stresses (cold, drought/heat or salinity). Systematic meta-studies based on published literature commonly face the inherent problem of publication bias where the most suspected form is the selective publication of statistically significant results. In this meta-analysis, however, the results obtained from all experiments within the project are included. Therefore, it is free of publication bias. In contrast to reviews of published literature, our unique study design is based on a common standardized protocol which applies to all experiments conducted within the project to reduce sources of variability. Based on data of crop growth, yield and P acquisition, we conclude that application of BEs can save fertilizer resources in the future, but the efficiency of BE application depends on cropping systems and environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peteh Mehdi Nkebiwe
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Jonas D. Stevens Lekfeldt
- Faculty of Science, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Sarah Symanczik
- Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Frick, Switzerland
| | - Cécile Thonar
- Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Frick, Switzerland
| | - Paul Mäder
- Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Frick, Switzerland
| | - Asher Bar-Tal
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Rishon LeZion, Israel
| | - Moshe Halpern
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Rishon LeZion, Israel
- Gilat Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Gilat, Israel
| | - Borbala Biró
- Department of Agro-Environmental Studies, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Klára Bradáčová
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Pedro C. Caniullan
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Krishna K. Choudhary
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Rishon LeZion, Israel
| | - Vincenza Cozzolino
- Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca sulla Risonanza Magnetica Nucleare per l’Ambiente, l’Agro-Alimentare ed i Nuovi Materiali (CERMANU), Università di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Emilio Di Stasio
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Stefan Dobczinski
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Joerg Geistlinger
- Institute of Bioanalytical Sciences, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Bernburg, Germany
| | - Angelika Lüthi
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Beatriz Gómez-Muñoz
- Faculty of Science, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Ellen Kandeler
- Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, Soil Biology Department, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Flora Kolberg
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Zsolt Kotroczó
- Department of Agro-Environmental Studies, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Martin Kulhanek
- Department of Agro-Environmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Suchdol, Czechia
| | - Filip Mercl
- Department of Agro-Environmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Suchdol, Czechia
| | - Guy Tamir
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Rishon LeZion, Israel
- Gilat Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Gilat, Israel
| | - Narges Moradtalab
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Alessandro Piccolo
- Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca sulla Risonanza Magnetica Nucleare per l’Ambiente, l’Agro-Alimentare ed i Nuovi Materiali (CERMANU), Università di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Albino Maggio
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Dinah Nassal
- Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, Soil Biology Department, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Magdolna Zita Szalai
- Department of Agro-Environmental Studies, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katalin Juhos
- Department of Agro-Environmental Studies, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ciprian G. Fora
- Department of Horticulture, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Michael I of Romania”, Timișoara, Romania
| | - Andreea Florea
- Department of Horticulture, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Michael I of Romania”, Timișoara, Romania
| | - Gheorghe Poşta
- Department of Horticulture, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Michael I of Romania”, Timișoara, Romania
| | - Karl Fritz Lauer
- Department of Horticulture, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Michael I of Romania”, Timișoara, Romania
| | - Brigitta Toth
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
- Institute of Food Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Agricultural Management, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Pavel Tlustoš
- Department of Agro-Environmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Suchdol, Czechia
| | - Isaac K. Mpanga
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Nino Weber
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Markus Weinmann
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Uri Yermiyahu
- Gilat Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Gilat, Israel
| | - Jakob Magid
- Faculty of Science, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Torsten Müller
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Günter Neumann
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Uwe Ludewig
- Institute of Crop Science, Departments of Nutritional Crop Physiology and Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Andreas de Neergaard
- Faculty of Science, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
- Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark
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Symanczik S, Lipp C, Mäder P, Thonar C, Kundel D. Limited effectiveness of selected bioeffectors combined with recycling phosphorus fertilizers for maize cultivation under Swiss farming conditions. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1239393. [PMID: 37719227 PMCID: PMC10501308 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1239393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
The use of plant biostimulants, also known as bioeffectors (BEs), has attracted increasing attention as an environmentally friendly strategy for more sustainable crop production. BEs are substances or microorganisms that are applied to plants or the surrounding soil to stimulate natural processes to enhance nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, and plant growth. Here, we tested the effectiveness of five BEs to enhance maize growth and phosphorus (P) uptake from various recycled P fertilizers in a series of pot and field experiments. First, the impact of two bacterial BEs and one soil-specific plant-based BE on crop performance was assessed in a 4-week screening experiment conducted in two arable, P-deficient soils of differing soil pH (a silty clay loam of pH 7.1 and a silty loam of pH 7.8) amended with recycled P-fertilizers (rock phosphate, biogas digestate, green waste compost, composted dairy manure, and chicken manure pellets). Then, for each soil type, the plant growth-promoting effect of the most promising BE-fertilizer combinations was re-assessed in an 8-week experiment. In addition, over a period of up to 3 years, three field experiments were conducted with maize in which up to two bacterial BEs were used either alone or in combination with a plant-based BE. Our experiments show that while BEs in combination with specific P-fertilizers can promote maize growth within the first weeks of growth under controlled conditions, the observed effects vanished in the long term, both in pots and under field conditions. In a tracing experiment, in which we tested the persistence of one bacterial BE over a period of 5 weeks, we observed a drastic decrease in colony-forming units already 2 weeks after inoculation. As previously shown in other studies, our data indicate that the plant growth-promoting effects of BEs found under controlled conditions are not directly transferable to field conditions. It is suggested that the drastic decline in inoculated bacterial strains in the tracing experiment is the reason for the decline in plant growth effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Symanczik
- Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland
| | - Carina Lipp
- Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland
| | - Paul Mäder
- Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland
| | - Cécile Thonar
- Plant Genetics and Rhizosphere Processes Laboratory, TERRA Teaching and Research Center, University of Liège, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Gembloux, Belgium
- Agroecology Lab, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Dominika Kundel
- Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland
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Li J, Weinberger F, de Nys R, Thomas T, Egan S. A pathway to improve seaweed aquaculture through microbiota manipulation. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:545-556. [PMID: 36089422 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Eukaryotic hosts are associated with microbial communities that are critical to their function. Microbiota manipulation using beneficial microorganisms, for example, in the form of animal probiotics or plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs), can enhance host performance and health. Recently, seaweed beneficial microorganisms (SBMs) have been identified that promote the growth and development and/or improve disease resistance of seaweeds. This knowledge coincides with global initiatives seeking to expand and intensify seaweed aquaculture. Here, we provide a pathway with the potential to improve commercial cultivation of seaweeds through microbiota manipulation, highlighting that seaweed restoration practices can also benefit from further understanding SBMs and their modes of action. The challenges and opportunities of different approaches to identify and apply SBMs to seaweed aquaculture are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiasui Li
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Florian Weinberger
- Marine Ecology Division, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Rocky de Nys
- Sea Forest Limited, 488 Freestone Point Road, Triabunna, Tasmania 7190, Australia and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville 4810, Australia
| | - Torsten Thomas
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Suhelen Egan
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia.
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