March 18 Cover.qxp_Sept 2004 Cover 26/02/2018 12:01 Page 1
March/April 2018
Sub-Saharan Africa: Main Facts and Figures for Agriculture
L e a d e r ss’’ P r o f i l e s
in Crop Production · Microbes Maps in Precision Ag · Coloured Market Trends · Micronutrients Technology Start-ups · Irrigation · Iodine in Plant Production
• Tevatronic (Israel) • Uralchem (Russia)
Welcome to Biocontrol Africa & to the 16th New Ag International Conference & Exhibition in Nairobi (Kenya), 19-23rd March, 2018
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MESSAGE FROM EDITOR.qxp_MESSAGE FROM EDITOR (june) 27/02/2018 15:03 Page 1
A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR NEW AG INTERNATIONAL
WELCOME TO NAIROBI! At the end of last year, New Ag International become a member of the Informa Group. The integration within the Knect365-LifeSciences Division of this prestigious company operating in the Knowledge and Information Economy will allow New Ag International and its teams to benefit from new resources to implement an ambitious development strategy that will comprise in particular of two new highly focused events to be launched in 2019 in cooperation with the most reputable industry associations and organizations active in Plant Nutrition and in Precision Agriculture. Announcements will follow very soon. Our World Congress on the use of Biostimulants in Agriculture, held in Miami last November, has been an enormous success. More than 1,200 delegates representing 700 companies and organizations from 61 countries made the trip and heard the very latest scientific and technology developments in the world of biostimulants. The next congress will be held during last quarter 2019. Place and venue will be announced soon. Our 2nd Regional Chinese Conference will take place in October this year in the Guangxi province. Further information to be available soon. Our 2nd Biocontrol LATAM Conference & Exhibition organised in conjunction with IBMA, will take place in Medellin, Colombia, during November. Visit us at www.newaginternational.com to register and join the hundreds of people who believe that the future of sustainable and high-tech agriculture in Latin America is tremendous.
In the meantime, 2018 will see our first series of events in Africa, a continent where most of the high potential for high tech & sustainable technologies is largely untapped. As I write these lines, hundreds of people are preparing to make their way to Nairobi (Kenya) where we have the pleasure of organizing from 19-23 March the 1st Biocontrol Africa Conference, immediately followed by the 16th Annual New Ag International Conference and Exhibition. Whereas Biocontrol Africa is focusing entirely on biopesticides, the 16th NAI conference will cover areas such as specialty plant nutrition, fertigation, biostimulants and biofertilizers with a clear aim at promoting the best products and technologies for the African environment. Both events are sponsored and supported by the most prestigious suppliers of Ag inputs as well as by a number of development organizations and industry associations active in Africa. On the occasion of the Nairobi events we are pleased to bring you in this issue of the magazine a highly documented picture on the latest developments in agriculture in twelve countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, except South Africa that will be covered later this year in a special feature updating our earlier reports on this market. As usual we also bring you other features: an update on micronutrients, an article on sugarcane fertigation, a first look at the role of iodine in plant production and a report on the prestigious scientific event on the role of microbes in crop production. Precision Ag is of course also featured in this issue of the magazine with a focus on coloured maps and their use. To cut a long story short, the DNA of New Ag, our policy of partnerships that add value as well as the “expert independent eye� developed over the years in our editorial coverage and events organization around the world remain the same going forward. The New Ag International & Informa Knect365-LifeSciences Teams look forward to welcoming you in Nairobi. We wish you a good read of this issue of the magazine.
Jean-Pierre Leymonie Editor www.newaginternational.com
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CONTENT March 2018.qxp_CONTENTS SEPT 04 21/02/2018 10:51 Page 1
C O N T E N T S
March/April 2018
NEW AG INTERNATIONAL is a publication of New Ag International SARL, an Informa PLC company Registered office : 2 rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France newag@newaginternational.com www.newaginternational.com Managing Director François Levesque newag@newaginternational.com Editor JP Leymonie editorial@newaginternational.com Editor & Latin America Correspondent Patricio Trebilcock Patricio.Trebilcock@newaginternational.com Contributing Editors: Oded Achilea Email: od.achilea@gmail.com M. Loison (Plant Protection) Email: m.loison@wanadoo.fr
NEWS REVIEW
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Welcome to Nairobi for the first ever international conferences on high-tech sustainable agriculture.
PLANT PROTECTION CORNER THE PRECISION AG CORNER LEADER’S PROFILE
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URALCHEM: The Russian company increases its presence in the world market for specialties. An exclusive interview with Dmitry V. Konyaev, CEO of URALCHEM JSC.
PRODUCTS & TRENDS
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Micronutrients: An update on science and market trends. By Prof I. Cakmak & JP Leymonie.
Marketing and Sales Manager: Jacqui French Email: advertising@newaginternational.com
IRRIGATION AND TECHNOLOGY LEADERS
Issued four times per year Reprints of articles obtainable on application to the Editor. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior written permission of the Copyright Owner. © 2018 New Ag International SARL Subscription enquiries to: Email: newag@newaginternational.com Annual subscription: Euros 175 (4 issues per year - hard copies, online version and access to past issues) Designed in England Email: tony@alphaset.co.uk Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Company www.magprint.co.uk New Ag International accepts no responsibility or liability for the validity or information supplied by contributors, vendors, advertisers or advertising agencies.
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Coloured maps in PA. By Prof Alex Escola & Team, University of Lleida, Spain.
Advertising Enquiries: Email: advertising@newaginternational.com
Operations Manager: Diane Jones Email: newag@newaginternational.com
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Heard and Seen at Micrope in Vienna by Dr Angela Sessitsch.
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Tevatronic: From Automatic irrigation to Autonomous irrigation. A step further for the Israeli Company, by P. Trebilcock, Editor.
IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGY
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Global Irrigation Tech startups by P. Trebilcock, Irrigation Editor.
REGIONAL REPORT
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Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa: Facts & Figures by Dr O. Achilea, Contributing Editor.
AGRONOMICS & ECONOMICS
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Iodine in plant production: A report from the Pisa conference, by Dr O. Achilea, contributing Editor.
PEOPLE & EVENTS
82
View this issue online at: www.newaginternational.com Front cover picture: An African woman at work in the field, courtesy of CGIAR Editorial and photo acknowledgements: Special thanks to A. Sessitsch, I Cakmak, O. Achilea.
www.newaginternational.com
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N E W S R E V I E W
NEWS REVIEW
NEW AG INTERNATIONAL
The first Chinese agricultural climate sensor and big data company receives Pre-A round financing
BRANDT EXPANDS RELATIONSHIP WITH TUNISIA AG & FOOD PROCESSING LEADER BRANDT, a leading US manufacturer of specialty products for the agriculture market, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Solagri Tunisia to distribute Brandt’s proprietary nutrition and sustainable products throughout the African country. The focus of this agreement is on Brandt’s proprietary foliar nutrient line, Manni-Plex®, as well as additional specialty humic acid and seaweed nutritionals. The products will be targeted to the wheat, grape, vegetable and olive markets throughout Tunisia. Solagri is a leading supplier of agricultural chemicals and plant nutrients in Tunisia. It is a subsidiary of the Rose Blanche Group,
which serves the agriculture and food processing industries in Africa. Rose Blanche is one of the largest global corporations focused on wheat milling and pasta processing, and operates one of the largest seed operations in North Africa. Before the agreement with Solagri, Brandt had a distribution agreement with another Rose Blanche subsidiary, CMA Tunisia, since 2011. After a corporate restructuring, Rose Blanche established Solagri to focus on the sales and distribution of fertilizers and pesticides. CMA is now focused on harvesting wheat at its 45 retail locations.
Jain Irrigation Announces Completion of Investment in the United States RECENTLY, BEIJING CAIPOS CO. LTD., announced that the company finished Pre-A round financing of Millions of RMB, to become the first one to receive Pre-A round investment in agricultural climate sensors and big data company in China. According to Mr. Liu Zongbo, CEO of Caipos, this round financing is led by Skysaga Capital, and followed by Zhonglu Co. and others. The investment is mainly aiming at expanding the market scale. In May 2017, Caipos launched the first agriculture IoT based on 780MHz, the specialized IoT fre-
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quency channel in China, including wireless climate data collection system, wireless control technology, cloud platform management system, and digital models, to provide a total solution for precision ag. The system could monitor real-time the climate of the field (soil, plant performance, and small-scale precision climate), and control fertigation for water and fertilizer supply, and control microspray for regulating the field environment, and send alerts on disrupting conditions according to the data models.
JAIN IRRIGATION SYSTEMS LIMITED (JISL) through its multi generation wholly owned subsidiary in the USA has completed acquisition of 80% stake in two of the United States’ largest microirrigation dealers - Agri-Valley Irrigation, LLC. (“AVI”) and Irrigation Design and Construction, LLC (“IDC”). This promotes JISL’s USA business to become an un-paralleled leader in design, construction, service, and innovative Ag Technology providing a unique platform to help growers implement state-of-theart irrigation technology and achieve “More Crop Per Drop™”. Anil Jain, CEO of Jain Irrigation
Systems Ltd. said, “We are delighted to inform about the completion of our investment in AVI and IDC and welcome all their associates into the JISL group. We look forward to working with all the stakeholders of AVI and IDC to deliver on the vision and high growth trajectory of their businesses and reaching out to newer horizons. The food production industry has undergone a lot of consolidation both globally and in the USA. We look at the diversification of Jain’s investment in irrigation distribution to be following a model that mirrors the industry trend”.
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Higher crop yields in Africa via mobile phone HOW CAN A SMALLHOLDER farmer in Africa save money for much needed fertilizer and seed without a bank account or access to a loan? The answer is provided through pilot projects in Mali and Senegal by the start-up company myAgro: Mobile phones are widely
used in rural areas of Africa and easy to use. The model works in a similar way as a pre-paid card for cellphones. As soon as a farmer has a little money left over, they can buy a myAgro scratch card that has an associated code at the back of the card, which is being
sent to their myAgro account through SMS. The farmers - up to 70 percent women by the way can pay in even the smallest amounts, for example one US dollar. Well in time for the start of the planting season, myAgro delivers high-quality seed and fertilizer
The rise of controlled production in greenhouses and vertical farms RABOBANK recently published its world map of vegetables production and trade. Globally there is a growing need for vegetables that are available yearround, produced in a safe and resource-efficient manner, and are of a consistently high quality. Consequently, vegetable production in greenhouses and vertical farms is
rising. The area of greenhouses is estimated at 500,000 hectares, including roughly 40,000 hectares of glasshouses. Recently, we have seen vertical farms popping up in various places around the world, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere close to large consumer concentrations. Vertical farming entails growing crops (often leafy
vegetables) in a controlled environment using artificial lighting. As investments and electricity costs are relatively high, it is (still) challenging to run an economically viable vertical farming business. That said, discerning customers are willing to pay a premium for locally grown vegetables grown in a contained environment.
to the farmers in their village. Thanks to the donation of USD 600,000 by Bayer, this important social innovation can now be extended. "Through our model, we are changing access to the financial system in a way that suits smallholder farmers. That’s because their needs often are not compatible with conventional capital flows. In this way we help them to achieve increased prosperity," says Anushka Ratnayake, founder and CEO of the start-up. Thanks to myAgro’s savings program, highquality products and on-time delivery, small farms that are usually cultivated by the families themselves increase their yields by 50 to 100 percent on average and raise their net farming income by about USD 150 to 300 per year. More information on myAgro is available at http://www.myagro.org
we have decrypted every gene. GSO. Genomically Stimulated Organism.
GENOMIC BIOSTIMULANT
what makes Gen Up® work is the metabolite coming from the developed genomic researches. It activates secondary metabolic processes of the plant (more sugars and calcium) and it enhances the genetic potential of the treated crop giving uniformity to the growth.
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N E W S R E V I E W
NEWS REVIEW
NEW AG INTERNATIONAL
Nutrien Announces Agreement to Purchase Agrichem, a Leading Brazilian Specialty Plant Nutrition Company NUTRIEN LTD. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Agrichem, a leading specialty plant nutrition and plant health product company in Brazil. Agrichem is one of Brazil's largest liquid NPK fertilizer companies, as well as a producer and marketer of plant health products, including biostimulants and health inductors. The compa-
ny has 195 employees and 35 product registrations actively marketed and a strong platform for future growth. The primary production facility is located close to key agricultural markets in Brazil, with an annual production capacity of almost 12 million litres. As a leader in Brazilian specialty nutrient markets, Agrichem will be an excellent fit with the Loveland
products business. "Brazil will be a strategic focus for further expansion due to its large and growing agriculture retail and crop input market," commented Chuck Magro, Nutrien's President and CEO. Agrichem is expected to be accretive to earnings in 2018, with total annual historic net sales of over $55 million and historic
EBITDA of over $15 million. The acquisition will be made in two tranches, with 80 percent of the business to be acquired in the coming months. The remaining 20 percent of the business will be acquired in 2019, based on 2018 EBITDA levels. Closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and satisfaction of customary conditions precedent.
International Agriculture Consulting Group IACG & Global BioAg Linkages sign MoU to support Sustainable Agriculture and Improve Food Security INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE Consulting Group (IACG) and Global BioAg Linkages (GBAL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at ICFA Headquarters in New Delhi with the aim to bring global innovations to India,
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with a focus on biologicals. The collaboration between GBAL and IACG will work towards sustainable agriculture, food security and climate smart agriculture to improve the living conditions of the Indian farming community through various
projects, programmes and capacity building initiatives. This affiliation envisions adding value to the entire value chain of farm produce and improving farm profitability which will lead to doubling farmers income in India by 2022. Roger Tripathi, CEO
and Co-founder of Global BioAg Linkages, and former President of Acadian Plant Health, said that the idea of forming an international consultancy network of BioAg professionals has been brewing in his mind for many years.
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Global Greenhouse Vegetable Statistics gets 2018 update GREENHOUSE VEGETABLE STATISTICS (2018 edition) - This 170-page report is a review of currently available data on the international production of vegetables in greenhouses. This data is based on evaluations of the most recent official government statistics and published research data. It includes, as available, greenhouse area, crops
grown, sales data, historical data, etc. for 130 countries, covering over 497,000 hectares (1,230,000 acres). 230 individual data tables and 436 referenced sources are included. A complete table of contents of this publication is available on the Cuesta Roble website. Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Listing (2018 edition) – This listing
has company names, locations, contact information, internet site links, and, as available, greenhouse area and email addresses. Over 2,200 specific companies in 106 countries are listed in this newly revised publication. Also included are over 170 planned grower projects in 30 countries, covering 3,500 ha. (8,700 ac.). Details and sample list-
ings are posted on the website. These complete publications are available as e-books, and are sent via email automatically within minutes of your online order. A special discount is offered for a combination purchase. Full descriptions, tables of content, and sample entries are posted at http://www.cuestaroble.com
Tradecorp upgrades and expands its facilities for the synthesis of EDDHA in Spain THE RENOVATIONS OF THE ÁVILA facilities (Spain) will allow Tradecorp to increase its EDDHA synthesis by more than 30%, with the environmental objective to reduce energy consumption. The project, which began in mid-July 2017, has already finished and the new facilities are fully functional.
This investment coincides with the extensive investment programme for the improvement of Tradecorp facilities in Albacete and Ávila (Spain). These renovations started in 2013 in response to an ever growing and more challenging demand for the company’s products. The modernization and expansion of
the facilities for the synthesis of EDDHA are accompanied by other investments in the Sanchidrián (Ávila) factory, including: • Updating the packaging process and implementing new equipment to optimize labelling and boxing. • Strengthening health and safety measures.
• Optimizing processes and equipment for better environmental protection. Tradecorp chelates are mainly sold under the commercial trademarks: Ultraferro (Fe-EDDHA), Tradecorp range (EDTA chelates) and Tradecorp AZ range (chemical mix of chelated micronutrients)
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N E W S R E V I E W
Belarusian greenhouse technology in Egypt THERE ARE PLANS to launch the production of greenhouses and agricultural equipment with the use of Belarusian technologies in Egypt. The matter was discussed during a visit of the Belarusian delegation to Cairo. The Belarusian delegation com-
prised representatives of the Agriculture and Food Ministry, and also the Torgtekhmash Company, specializing in the production of greenhouses and agricultural equipment. The embassy organized negotiations with Mostafa Hadhoud, Chairman of the Egyptian Company for Agri-
cultural and Rural Development, the leadership of the Arab Organization for Industrialization, Kader Factory for Developed Industries, and a number of private companies to discuss the construction and localization of production of greenhouses and agricultural equipment
in Egypt with the use of Belarusian technologies. The delegation met with top executives of the Agricultural Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr to discuss the financing of export-import operations and joint projects to foster the development of the agricultural sector of Egypt.
Kingenta partners with COMPO to globally promote the fertilizer use reduction and enhanced efficiency technology IN DECEMBER 2017, “Efficiency Enhanced Fertilizer (EEF) Technology Research and Application Forum (COMPO EEF Technology Introduction Conference) was held in Linshu, Shandong province, China. Through cooperation between Chinese and German R&D teams, Kingenta partners with COMPO to research and develop a
new generation EEF technology in an innovative manner, which will be launched to the whole world after lots of tests in China, Germany, USA, Israel, Thailand, etc. Zhai Jidong, vice president of Kingenta Group and president of COMPO GmbH hosted the conference. Until now, technical products using NBPT, DMPP and biostimu-
lants have been launched; in June 2018, the marketing of new fertilizers such as new enhanced efficiency compound fertilizer, enhanced efficiency nitrate-based fertilizer and double-enhanced and doublecontrolled slow/controlled-release products will be launched all over the world at the same time. Bai Ying, CEO of Kingenta said that
Kingenta always highlights the technological innovation and is committed to promoting the industrial technological progress. It will share technological innovation achievements with its peers, promote the industrial progress in terms of product innovation, technological breakthrough, market development and service.
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Omnia International Ghana: 10K jobs through Australia (OIA) is expanding greenhouse projects
Omnia Australia’s production facility
OMNIA HOLDINGS is a diversified Industrial Group with specialized services and solutions for the agricultural, mining and chemicals industries. Omnia International Australia has been a leading manufacturer of humates, fulvates, kelp, biostimulants, fertilizer coatings, organic chelated trace elements, seed treatments and foliars since 1990. Omnia is expanding its Humate production capacity through investment in new plant and technology. Completion took place in January. Omnia produces the worlds most
concentrated humates and is internationally recognised for quality and proven performance. FertiCoat is a biostimulant fertilizer coating that improves efficiency and profitability. Ferticoat can also be used to stick trace elements on to fertilizer. Omnia uses Australian Bull Kelp to formulate seaweeds and nutrient enriched foliars that can be used to manage physiological processes in plants. The company is exporting worldwide and is looking for more distributors that can partner with Omnia.
THE GOVERNMENT through the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP) will create 10,000 jobs over the next four years through the establishment of 1,000 greenhouse projects nationwide. The project was part of government’s effort to create jobs for the youth and to increase food production.
About 3,000 people should be employed under the greenhouse project this year. The project beneficiaries will be trained for two years in its management before it would be handed over to them; stating that, so far 75 greenhouse domes had been constructed at Dawhyenya in the Greater Accra Region.
FUTUROMICS: A new platform to explore the mechanisms of action of Futureco Bioscience products WITH A STRONG KNOW-HOW on transcription regulation, the Spanish agrobiotech company Futureco Bioscience, has developed and launched the next-generation sequencing platform FUTUROMICS, created to gain insight on the mode of action of commercial biostimulants and biopesticides. During the last years, Futureco Bioscience has implemented ge-
nomic and transcriptomic tools to gain insights on the mechanism of action of potential biostimulants and biopesticides. Futureco Bioscience R&D&I department generates this data as part of its pipeline to determine new microorganisms with biostimulant or biocontrol properties. Once a microorganism is classified for its potential usefulness as an
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active ingredient, it is checked for its viability as a potential product. This know-how on nextgeneration sequencing has been now applied to the final formulations: the commercial products. FUTUROMICS results on transcription regulation help analyzing the metabolic changes and adaptation processes produced on plants after a biostimu-
lant or biopesticide application. FUTUROMICS contributes to unveil the mode of action of biostimulants at a molecular level. Pipeline analysis has started with three of the most well-known FUTURECO BIOSCIENCE products: BIORADICANTE and FITOMAAT on the biostimulant range, and BESTCURE as a biocontrol product.
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P L A N T P ROT E C T I O N C O R N E R
Microbe-Assisted Crop Production:
Opportunities, Challenges & Needs In many countries legislation requests lower inputs of chemicals such as inorganic fertilizers or pesticides. Overall, there is a need to intensify agricultural production in a sustainable manner and to identify solutions to combat abiotic stress, pathogens and pests. The symposium “Microbe-assisted crop production – opportunities, challenges and needs” (miCROPe 2017 – www.micrope.org), which took place from 4th-7th December, 2017, in the Orangerie of the Schönbrunn castle in Vienna, Austria, addressed basic and applied aspects of applying beneficial microorganisms in crop production. This symposium, which was organized by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and by the Austrian Association of Molecular Life Sciences and Biotechnology (ÖGMBT), covered mechanistic understanding of beneficial plant-microbe interactions, microbiome research with a focus on microbiome and multi-trophic interactions, formulation and application know-how as well as the importance of microbial inoculants for rural development. A special talk addressed registration issues. More than 320 delegates from 39 countries participated in this symposium with more than a quarter of them coming from the industry sector. The keyword for the event? Multi-Omic approach! Dr Angela Sessitsch, convener of the event has the story for New Ag International.
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E ARE WELL AWARE that humans are associated with complex microbiota, usually termed as the human microbiome, which are essential for our health and well-being. Similarly, plants are associated with complex microbiota, which play a key role for plant performance. The rhizosphere is an important hot spot of microbial diversity and activity as roots exude a number of different substances like sugars or amino acids, which serve as important nutrients for microorganisms. In addition, various plant organs such as roots, stems, leaves and also reproductive organs such as seeds are internally colonized by various microorganisms, termed as endophytes. Also the plant surface, e.g. the phyllosphere (i.e. the surface of leaves) is colonized by microorgan-
isms. These microbiota have been also termed as the accessory plant genome and encompass microorganisms, which have highly beneficial functions in regard to plant production. To a great extent these microorganisms are important to improve plant nutrition by providing nutrients such as rhizobia and other nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Rhizobia establish a symbiosis with legumes, in which they colonize plant nodules and reduce atmospheric N2 to ammonium, which is available to plant nutrition. Other microorganisms mobilize nutrients present in soils including mycorrhizal fungi or phosphate-solubilizing bacteria. Some microorganisms have the capacity to improve stress tolerance of plants to abiotic stress such as drought by employing dif-
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P L A N T P ROT E C T I O N C O R N E R
ferent mechanisms such as the production of hormones or by interference with plant hormone production. Equally important are microorganisms, which are able to combat plant pathogens and protect the plant against diseases.
FEW MICROORGANISMS HAVE BEEN APPLIED FOR A LONG TIME Highly promising results can be seen in the lab and greenhouse studies when applying microbial inoculants with greatly increased biomass production and tolerance towards plant pathogens. Thus expectations for field application are high. Few inoculants such as those using nitrogen-fixing rhizobia or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi have been applied for more than a century, whereas applications for other microorganisms require further understanding and improvement. On the one hand, understanding is needed on mechanisms employed, the ecology of the introduced microorganism and its interactions with the native microbiome. On the other hand application and delivery technologies have to be developed warranting optimal establishment and activity of any applied microorganism.
SCREENING PROGRAMMES NECESSARY TO BRING TO MARKET SUCCESSFUL STRAINS The opening lecture, which was supported by NewAgInternational, was presented by Prof. Esperanza Martinez-Romero from the Autonomous University of Mexico. Being an expert on host-microbe interactions in general and more specifically on N2-fixing rhizobia she introduced the audience to the latest results on the genetics of plant-microbe interactions as well as an overview on some important host-microbe interactions. In particular she reported on important microorganisms involved in N cycling such as rhizobia and bradyrhizobia and their application, e.g. in Brazil, as well as ammonium-excreting bacteria. The first session was on “Successful
Microbial Products”, in which Prof. Jürgen Köhl from the Wageningen University, the Netherlands, reported on screening programmes to identify microbial biocontrol strains with the appropriate characteristics to be successfully placed on the marked. As important criteria he identified ecological characteristics, production costs of the microbe, safety, toxicological and eco-toxicological properties. Furthermore, the importance to address the right market segment as well as to protect intellectual property rights was addressed. As examples Köhl showed the outcome of screenings of fungal antagonists against Rhizoctonia solani in lettuce, Botrytis cinerea in various crops, Venturia inaequalis in apple and Blumeria graminis in wheat, all elaborated in the EU BIOCOMES project. In another talk, Dr. Christopher Lehnen from Bee Vectoring Technologies, Switzerland, showed how the biocontrol fungus Clonostachys rosea CR-7 can be applied to control grey mold caused by Botrytis cinerea in berry crops. In this application spores of the biocontrol strain are delivered by bees directly on flowers when they forage for nectar and pollen. Spores start to germinate and to produce colonies soon after they land on flowers and thereby prevent pathogen growth. The fungus is attached to bee legs by VectoriteTM, a type of sticker. This represents an innovative and promising delivery technology of microbial products. Another innovative invention was introduced by Dr. Brenda Loznik from ECOstyle, the Netherlands. This approach made use of protozoa to stimulate the mineralization of organic substances by grazing on soil bacteria, thereby stimulating bacterial activity and the release of nutrients. She showed that protozoa have the potential to improve the establishment and possibly the efficacy of biostimulants, particularly those containing Bacillus, in the field. Finally, Dr. Ross Mann (AgriBio, Australia)
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reported on volatiles of fungal endophytes as an alternative to phosphine, which is used on a large scale as a fumigant against fungal pathogen. Isoprene and other volatile organic compounds were identified, which can be produced commercially in large quantities. Furthermore, isoprene has no acute toxicity to humans, is naturally produced by many plants and present in low quantities in many food products. A newly introduced session addressed the issue of “Microorganisms for Rural Development”. Prof Ian Sanders (University of Lausanne, Switzerland) and Prof. Alia Rodriguez (National University of Colombia), showed how the symbiosis between cassava and mycorrhizal fungi can be used to secure food production in the tropics and subtropics, and particularly in SubSaharan Africa. Microbial genetics is applied for rapid improvement of the symbiosis, and the speakers emphasized the importance to incorporate microbial symbioses in crop breeding programmes to obtain further increases. Dr. Didier Lesueur (UMR ECO&SOLS, CIATAsia, Deakin University, CIRAD, Vietnam) reported about the use, efficacy and quality of microbial inoculants containing N2-fixing rhizobia in Africa and Asia. Various factors influence the success of rhizobial inoculation and high quality inoculants are highly important. Dr. Mageed Saad from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia, reported of the DARWIN21 project, which has the aim to explore the huge diversity of rhizosphere bacteria to improve drought tolerance of crops. Selected strains were on the one hand analysed for their mechanisms to improve plant stress resilience employing Arabidopsis as a model plant and further evaluated for their field performance using economically important crops. Similarly, Dr. Valentina Riva (University of Milan, Italy) reported about a screening programme to
identify bacterial strains to increase plant growth performance in arid regions of Mediterranean African countries.
NEW MECHANISMS OF INTERACTION BEING DISCOVERED One session was dedicated to discuss new developments in regard to “New Mechanisms Involved in Beneficial PlantMicrobe Interactions”. Here, Prof. Paola Bonfante from the University of Torino, Italy, reported about new insights to the plant (immune) response when exposed to mycorrhizal fungi or complex microbial communities. Using a number of omics approaches she showed that diverse microorganisms activate defence pathways comparable to a primary immune response in animals. Dr. Alberico Bedini from Inoq GmbH, Germany, addressed a similar theme, but from a more practical point of view. Selected oligosaccharides were shown not only to induce as elicitors a plant defence response but also to stimulate the development of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Another group of plant-associated fungi, i.e. Trichoderma, were reviewed by Dr. Monika Schmoll (AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Austria), who particularly addressed the complex interaction between plant sensing, sexual development and nutrient detection in T. reesei. Other talks were on new insights on mechanisms employed by plant-associated and beneficial bacteria. Bacterial volatiles receive increasing attention due to their involvement in cross-kingdom interactions. Prof. Laure Weisskopf (University of Fribourg, Switzerland) showed some examples on how bacterial volatiles such as 1-undecene inhibit growth and sporulation of the oomycete Phytophthora infestans and highlighted the yet underexplored potential of such compounds for crop protection. Further bacterial volatiles, i.e. terpenes, were discussed by Dr. Lara Martin-Sanchez from the Netherlands Institute of
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P L A N T P ROT E C T I O N C O R N E R Ecology. She showed how terpenes are involved in below-ground interactions being linked to quorum sensing, antifungal activities or biofilm formation. Another talk given by Prof. Barbara ReinholdHurek (University of Bremen, Germany) highlighted the importance of specific bacterial secretion systems, particularly the type 6 secretion system, for plant colonization and plant-endophyte interactions. A new mode of action against the bacterial, phloem-colonizing pathogens causing yellow disease of carrots, Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum and Ca. Phytoplasma, was presented by Dr. Lilach Iasur Kruh from the ORT Braude College of Engineering, Israel. As these pathogens cannot be cultivated the authors used Spiroplasma melliferum as a culturable model and elucidated that a bacterial endophyte related to Dyella was shown to secret metabolites antagonizing phloem-colonizing phtopathogens. To also shed light on the mechanisms plants employ to interact with microorganisms a session on “Plant Understanding and Improvement of Beneficial Interactions with Microbes” was included in the programme of the miCROPe 2017 symposium. Dr. Roeland Berendsen from the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, talked about systemic resistance of plants induced by rhizobacteria and about a root-specific transcription factor, which is specifically activated by interacting microbes controlling the synthesis and excretion of iron-mobilizing compounds into the rhizosphere. Also, Dr. Abhishek Shresta (Julius Kühn Institute, Germany) showed that bacteria induce a response in plants by employing acyl homoserine lactones leading to the activation of mitogen activated protein kinases and the expression of several defence-related secondary metabolites. Dr. Pierre Hohmann (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Switzerland) talked about plant breeding approaches
An impressive attendance at miCROPe 2017
considering plant-microbiome interactions, whereas Dr. Philip Franken (Leibniz-Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Germany) proposed Petunia as a model to identify new breeding targets with the final aim to develop new crop cultivars interacting stably and efficiently with beneficial endophytic fungi. The role of the plant microbiome for seedling performance was addressed by Dr. Davide Gerna from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, who particularly elucidated the role of different bacterial strains to modulate oxidative burst in wheat seedlings. The holobiont plant encompasses a multitude or organisms, i.e. the plant with all associated and interacting micro- and macroorganisms, as well as a high number of multitrophic and microbiome interactions, which were addressed in the session “The Holobiont Plant”. Dr. Leo van Overbeek (Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands) reported about human pathogens as a potential component of plant microbiomes. This issue is also elaborated in the newly established COST Action “Control of human pathogenic microorganisms in plant production systems”. Related to this topic, Dr. Jasper Schierstaedt (Julius Kühn Institute, Germany) reported on the potential of plant microbiome members to avoid plant colonization of human pathogens such as Salmonella via employ-
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ment of acyl homoserine lactones. Dr. Robert Czajkowski (University of Gdansk, Poland) and Dr. David Ezra (ARO The Volvani Center, Israel) reported on the employment of bacteriophages or synthetic volatile mixtures of fungal origin, respectively, to control plant pathogens.
RESEARCH ON THE MICROBIOME BOOMING A number of talks addressed recent findings and developments in microbiome research. Bacterial, fungal and oomycete microbiomes, their drivers and interactions at the Arabidopsis root-soil interface were discussed by Dr. Paloma Duran (Max-PlanckInstitute for Plant Breeding, Germany). Also Prof. Gabriele Berg from the University of Technology Graz, Austria, addressed complex microbiome interactions and particularly discussed the relevance of microbiota also for the post-harvest behaviour of crops and fruits as well as the importance of seed microbiota for plant health. Similarly, Gilles Vismans (University of Utrecht, the Netherlands) discussed the interaction between microbiota established in disease suppressive soils after disease outbreak and the induction of systemic response and the subsequent disease suppression. T. Simmons from the University of California Berkeley, USA, showed how plant micro-
biomes are affected by drought and reported an enrichment of Actinobacteria. Prof. Yvan Moënne-Loccoz (University of Lyon, France) showed the interdependence of plant genotypes and rhizosphere microbiomes. He reported that the plant cultivar largely determines the degree of interaction with plant beneficial strains and that the interaction with plant beneficial bacteria had been largely counter-selected in modern cultivars. The effect of plant secondary metabolites and root exudates on the plant microbiome was discussed by Dr. Enoch Narh Kudjordje (Aarhus University, Denmark). Dr. Viviane Radl (Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany) focussed on seed-borne endophytes and reported their relevance for early plant development, however, concluded that at later stages soil-derived endophytes become more relevant. Clear differences of soil microbial communities associated with well and poorly growing plants were reported by Dr. David Hallahan (DuPont Pioneer, USA). Dr. Birgit Mitter of the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology talked about the drivers of bacterial endophyte microbiomes and reported on a transcriptome profiling of a wellstudied bacterial endophyte, i.e. Paraburkholderia phytofirmans strain PsJN, colonizing potato plants. These results evidenced metabolic activity of endophytes
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P L A N T P ROT E C T I O N C O R N E R
as well as the fact that a plant response to drought stress also affects metabolism and activity of an endophytic bacterium. Dr. Klaus Schlaeppi (Agroscope, Switzerland) analysed the effect of cropping practises on microbiomes and proposed to identify and apply microbiome-based management strategies fostering specific beneficial microorganisms. The importance of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA)-producing bacteria occurring in dryland cereal cropping systems throughout the low-precipitation zone of the inland Pacific Northwest of the
USA was highlighted by Dr. Linda Thomashow, USDA, USA. She showed that PCA is produced to adapt bacteria to water stress and promotes the development of a root-associated biofilm.
FORMULATING PROPERLY: AN ESSENTIAL STEP TO ENHANCE PERFORMANCE AT FIELD LEVEL The session “Application Technologies and Formulations” was dedicated to applied issues, addressing the questions how microorganisms can be successfully applied in the field, and how their viability can be maintained in
THE INTERNATIONAL PHYTOBIOMES ALLIANCE One session was dedicated to the International Phytobiomes Alliance (www.phytobiomesalliance.org) established and coordinated by Dr. Kellye Eversole, and which represents an industryacademic collaborative initiative focused on building a phytobiome-based foundation for accelerating the sustainable production of food, feed, and fiber. In this session Dr. Eversole introduced the Alliance and highlighted the importance to apply a holistic approach to meet the demands of future crop production, embracing the interactions of agriculturally relevant Phytobiomes, biological and physical data and empowering next-generation precision agriculture. Examples of recent phytobiomes research were given by speakers from industry and academia. Dr. Slavica Djonovic from Indigo Ag, USA, employed a polyphasic approach to elucidate how beneficial microbes such as strains belonging to the genus Streptomyces alter plant phenotypic responses. Strains improving drought tolerance and improving yield of soybean were tested for their effect on the plant transcriptome, the native microflora by microbiome analysis and microbial genome and secretome analysis. Dr. Michael Ionescu from Evogene Ltd., Israel, presented a screening programme to identify strains improving drought tolerance of cereals and have high success rates when applied in the field. Thousands of strains obtained from wild and domesticated cereals in Israel were used to identify strains with the desired traits. Top inoculants were further tested and validated on a responsive variety by detailed plant phenotyping, gene expression, microbiome analyses revealing different types of mechanisms, inducing plant defence and modulating plant development during the vegetative growth and reproductive stages. Also Prof. Jim Germida (University of Saskatchewan, Canada) reported on the capacity of bacterial and fungal endophytes to improve the stress resilience of various crops such as cereals, oilseeds and legumes associated in some cases with alterations of the plant microbiome. Finally, Dr. Kateryna Zhalnina (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA) reported on the complex interplay between root exudate chemistry and microbial community assembly during plant development, particularly under nutrient and water stress. Substrate availability via root exudates, at different developmental stages and nutrient conditions, and substrate preferences determined the successional patterns of bacteria in the rhizosphere.
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a commercial product. Prof. Anant Patel from the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Germany, talked about formulation development for fungal biocontrol agents, such as entomopathogenic fungi, as well as on aspects of co-formulating microorganisms and synergistic chemicals like pheromones, volatile attractants, drying additives and others. He concluded that innovative agricultural formulations for microbial inoculants will contribute to significant advances in this field moving away from empirical mixing of substances with an active ingredient to formulation science drawing upon processes in chemistry and biotechnology. Dr. Claudia Preininger (AIT Austrian Institute of Technology) reviewed multiple factors influencing formulation quality combining material properties with bacterial viability and overall treatment performance. She showed that microbial responses vary and depend on multiple factors including the chemistry of the used materials, the formulation process, and the environmental conditions during processing and storage. Dr. Virginia Estévez (University of Barcelona, Spain) reported on a formulation development for the biocontrol strain Trichoderma asperellum T34 applied to seed coating of maize. The issue of nonviable cells in an inoculum were addressed by Dr. David Schisler from the USDA, USA. Such nonviable cells do not only lead to reduced diseased control but also an additional net adverse effect on plant growth. He suggested that non-viable cells of a biocontrol inoculum could provide a nutritive benefit to pathogen cells and demonstrated this with the biocontrol bacterium Papiliotrema flavescens (formerly Cryptococcus flavescens) against the Fusarium headblight pathogen.
REGULATORY: NOT PROGRESSING QUICKLY ENOUGH The last session dealt with the “Future of Microbial Products and
Regulatory Issues” and Dr. Willem Ravensberg (Koppert Biological Systems, the Netherlands) reported in his capacity as the current President of the International Biocontrol Manufacturing Association (IBMA) on current trends of the biocontrol, biofertilizers and biostimulants market. All biologicals have high market expectations with double-digit CAGRs, but particularly biocontrol products, of which almost 60% are of microbial nature, are expected to have currently a CAGR of more than 17%. Dr. Ravensberg reviewed the worldwide regulatory environment and discussed recent developments. He highlighted the importance to discuss with authorities on many levels to end up with appropriate regulations as well as the importance of regulations, which allow innovative products to reach the market in a predictable, affordable and timely manner being based on risk and not on function. The closing lecture was given by Dr. Janet Jansson from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA, who impressively showed how a multi-omics approach, combining metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics and metametabolomics, reveal novel information on the functioning of highly complex and mostly unculturable soil microbial communities. In particular, the impact of different perturbations such as changes in nutrients, soil moisture and temperature on native prairie and permafrost soils were investigated revealing the functional response of the active soil microflora. About one quarter of all participants were students and more than 140 posters of high scientific quality were presented, partly also as poster talks, which were included in the speakers’ programme. The next conference of the miCROPe series, is likely to take place in 2019 and will be announced in due time. n
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