Biostimulants and their role in crop nutrition Antonis Angeletakis 28-29/11/2018
World is facing big transformation and difficult global challenges By 2050 we will be +9 bi people on the planet The amount of fresh water available on our planet 3% We will need to produce +50% food to feed the world During last 50 years we lost 3 bi tons of grains harvest due climate stress and trend to increase with agriculture expansion and climate change. 2
Often the bottleneck in boosting farmer production goes beyond crop nutrition. ( 2015 DAFWA) (Uni. of Nebraska) Limited growth due to drought stress Stunted maize seedling due to low temperature 3
Abiotic stress in crops Abiotic stress is any negative impact of non-living factors (extreme temperatures, salinity, drought, etc) on plants in a specific environment. H 2 O 2 accumulation inside the cell H 2 O 2 accumulation in the cell wall apoplast Extreme abiotic stress causes accumulation of freeradicals (reactive oxygen species, ROS) in plants. Accumulated free radicals (e.g. H 2 O 2 ) will cause oxidative cell damage in plants. Damage on plant cells will affect plant growth and productivity. Diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB) staining: Showing H 2 O 2 accumulation in a plant cell during extreme stress. 4
Crop production: potential losses due to abiotic stress 100% Yield Impact from Abiotic Losses 80% % of record yield 60% 40% 20% 0% 66% 69% 82% 81% 75% 75% 10% 9% 9% 7% 5% 5% 24% 22% 13% 14% 16% 18% Corn Wheat Soybean Sorghum Oat Barley Average yield Biotic losses Abiotic losses Source: Buchanan, Gruissem, Jones, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants, American Society of Plant Physiologists, 2000. 5
Limited yield potential Genetic Yield Potential + Biostimulants + Nutrients The yield gap BIOPHYSICAL climate/weather soils water tillage variety/seed selection nutrients weeds and pests postharvest management Genetic Yield Potential Actual Farm Yield Actual Farm Yield SOCIOECONOMIC price costs farmer income traditions knowledge government policy technology Components of yield gaps Source: adapted from De Datta, 1981. 6
Yara s approach on biostimulants A biostimulant is any compound/s or microorganisms, that when applied to crops in combination with mineral nutrients, it triggers the processes that enhance nutrient uptake and efficiency, improve plant growth, tolerance to abiotic stress and yield beyond the effects of mineral nutrients. 7
Main categories of plant biostimulants Beneficial Bacteria Beneficial Fungi Humic acids Fulvic acids Amino-acids Microbials Acid based Others Extract based Inorganic salts Chitosan and other biopolymers Anti-transpirants Seaweed extracts Plant extracts 8
U.K. market per product category % of projected sales in 2019* Acid based Extract based Others 3.4% 46.4% 50.2% *Total projected sales: 85 million $ Source: Company Press Releases, Annual Reports, Expert Interviews and MarketsandMarkets Analysis 9
Main effects and physiological actions Mode of application Effects Possible mechanisms Seed treatment Fertilizer coatings Foliar application Soil application Growth responses: Improved shoot & root growth Higher flowering and fruit set Improved yield (quality and quantity) Abiotic stress tolerance: Salinity and drought stress Temperature extremes Pesticide stress Enhanced photosynthesis Others: Increased nutrient uptake & efficiency Improved root nodulation Improved soil structure and moisture retention Enhanced seed germination Modulation of phytohormones Increased photosynthetic efficiency and carbon assimilation Delayed senescence Reduced transpiration Enhanced stomatal conductance Detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) Up-regulation of genes involved in abiotic stress tolerance and in transport of nutrients in the plants Up-regulation of bio-synthetic enzymes Altered root architecture Efficient water uptake Improved Cation-Exchange Capacity (CEC) 10
Experimental trials 11
Drought tolerance in Tomato 54% higher Untreated control (Drought stress) % BioMARIS TM (2.5l/ha) 1 application 3 days before drought Drought stressed Source: Yara R&D 12
Broccoli Untreated control Rate: 150 ml/100 lt Timing of application: 15 days after planting 15 & 30 days after 1 st application YaraVita BIOTRAC YaraVita BIOTRAC Control Source: Yara R&D 13
Lettuce Head weight (gr) 160 120 154.27 Timing of application: BBCH 15 80 108.62 40 0 Untreated control YaraVita BIOTRAC untreated 3 L/ha Biotrac 80 40 Root weight (gr) 59.14 72.89 0 untreated 3 L/ha Biotrac 1 application of YaraVita BIOTRAC at 3 lt/ha increased plant and root weight compared to untreated. Source: Development & Training Centre (Yara UK) 14
Potato ton/ha 45.00 44.50 44.00 43.50 43.00 Yield 44.72 44.69 Timing of application: For soil application: at planting For foliar application: 2 applications at 20-30 cm and at flowering 42.50 42.00 42.47 41.50 41.00 Untreated control BioNUE (4 l/ha) - Soil BioNUE (2X2 l/ha) - Foliar All rates of YaraVita BioNUE TM increased yield compared to the untreated (5.2% - 5.3%). Source: Yara R&D 15
Winter wheat % of yield 130% 120% 110% 100% 100.0% Average Yield* 121.6% Timing of application: 14 days of vegetation start in spring 28 days of vegetation start in spring Flag leaf stage 90% 80% Untreated control BioMARIS (2.5 l/ha) * Results from 2 trials conducted in N. Ireland (AFBI) YaraVita BioMARIS TM increased average yield compared to the untreated by 21.6%. Source: University of Hohenheim 16
BIOTRYG TM Biostimulants technology for better crop solutions BIOTRYG is a combination of "bio", representing the biostimulants platform, the plant natural process and life and the old Norse word "tryggr" that means trust, faithful, and also links to the English word trigger, representing the effect of the technology in the plants. 17
BIOTRYG TM technology tested in a range of crops and conditions Complete nutritional program - no stress Powered by BIOTRYG Farmer practice Untreated control Powered by BIOTRYG 18
Benefits of BIOTRYG technology BIOTRYG technology triggers the natural plant processes by acting on specific parts of the crop metabolism and demonstrating the following benefits in plants: Enhanced nutritional efficiency Higher productivity Higher Profitability Enhanced stress tolerance Improved harvest quality 19
Biostimulants powered by BIOTRYG technology Commercial products: Ø YaraVita BIOTRAC Ø YaraVita BioMARIS Products in development: Ø YaraVita BioNUE Ø YaraVita F-3580 Ø YaraVita F-3581 (Seed treatment) Ø YaraVita F-3590 (Fertilizer coating) 20
Discussion 21