Rovensa Next on the Road Towards Biotransformation Leadership

Many synthetical products such as fertilisers and traditional chemical pesticides, which are used to ensure the growth and development of plants, have been related to the degradation and pollution of soil, water and crops. One way to increase agronomic efficacy while minimising the impact on environment is through the application of bio-products, which are aligned with the principles of sustainable agriculture.

The Rovensa Group's new global business unit, Rovensa Next, which specialises in biosolutions for agriculture, was created to help farmers and distributors solve real sustainability challenges. Microorganisms are one of the main options for developing new biosolutions thanks to their excellent performance in bionutrition and biocontrol management. This makes them a good alternative to synthetical and plant protection products and helps agriculture to grow greener.

  
What´s next in Bionutrition?

It is widely reported that  the application of microorganisms and their metabolites  along crop cycle can contribute to yield in a wide range of important crops while taking advantage of available resources. Therefore, biofertilisers and biological products known as PGPMs (Plant Growth-Promoting Microorganisms) are used to stimulate crop productivity, with the microorganisms promoting plant development.

Some of the most commonly used beneficial microorganisms in agriculture across the world include species of Rhizobia, Azospirillum, Mycorrhizae, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Thichoderma, Actinomycetes and many more. This group of microorganisms is directly associated with:

- Improving nutrient uptake of macronutrients by unlocking phosphorus and potassium and fixing atmospheric nitrogen

- Increased efficiency of photosynthetic activity and chlorophyll content

- Better seed germination

- Soil regeneration

- Increased biological diversity and balance in the rhizosphere

- Increased root formation and protection.

In addition, the current global geopolitical situation has exposed the high dependence of the world's agricultural production on imported NPK fertilisers.  The high price and scarcity of these fertilisers has underlined the need to optimise plant nutrition and fertilisation practices and biofertilizers are playing a major role in this challenge.

A successful example is the use of Rovensa Next inoculants in Brazil. Biological fixation of nitrogen through rhizobia has become a widely adopted practice for soybean crops in Brazil due to their low cost and impressive results in terms of plant growth and increased productivity. Strains of Bradyrhizobium spp. and Azospirillum brasilense are currently used in approximately 85% and 30%, respectively, of the total soybean crop surface areas in Brazil. To help crop growth, Rovensa Next launched AzzoFix, a microbial-based solution seed treatment for improved nutrient use efficiency and sustainable crop nutrition management. AzzoFix is a liquid inoculant for corn and soybean co-inoculation that contains Azospirillum brasilense (Strains AbV5 and AbV6), an atmospheric nitrogen-fixing and growth stimulating bacteria.

Another macronutrient, phosphorus, plays a key role in the formation of ATP which is the main source of energy for key cellular processes, such as photosynthesis and cell division. However, it is estimated that only 20-30% of the phosphorus applied to the soil is readily assimilated by plants. This occurs as a result of the formation of stable compounds between phosphorous salts and the iron and aluminium oxy-hydroxides present in clay fractions of the soil. As a consequence, the efficiency of phosphate fertilisation is poor, and these fertilisers must be applied in high concentrations to guarantee productivity. One of Rovensa Next's strategies to increase the availability of phosphate is to use microorganisms that can assist in phosphate nutrition (biofertilisers). It is known that some microorganism species can colonise the rhizosphere and solubilise the phosphate already adsorbed in the soil into ways that can be assimilated by plants. This is why Rovensa Next's new Phós'UP biofertiliser is presented as a viable solution for increased phosphorous nutrition linked to sustainability, since it is a renewable product and is produced through a sustainable fermentation process. It contains the live bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens (Strain BR 14810), which can solubilise the phosphate adsorbed in the soil and thus increase the availability of this element to the plant, promoting increased crop growth with lower phosphorus applications.

Field trials conducted with Phós'UP showed that the average increase in soybean productivity corresponds to 21.1 kg of P₂O₅ (at least 25% of the crop requirement), which is equivalent to 105 kg/ha of a typical NPK mineral fertiliser. Therefore, the use of Phós'UP can optimise the application of fertilisers and improve nutrition by increasing access to phosphorous in the soil which was previously unavailable to plants, producing more with less in a natural and sustainable way.

Regarding to microbial extracts, Rovensa Next has launched Biimore, an Ultra-Efficient biostimulant derived from an exclusive and sustainable plant fermentation process, carried out by a specific bacterial strain and a unique fingerprint. The high efficacy of Biimore at ultra-low doses applied at fruit swell and development stage, has proven to increase yield and fruit weight by up to 28% and 19%, respectively, and improve other quality parameters such as size, sugar content and shelf-life. In addition, Biimore is one of the first biostimulants to be registered under the FPR in Europe and is set to ReEvolutionise the biostimulant market globally.

Recently Rovensa Next business unit has announced an investment of more than US$ 1 million in a new Global Biosolutions Research and Innovation Center, located in Hortolândia (São Paulo State, Brasil) that aims to develop new biosolutions to promote a more sustainable agriculture worldwide and contribute to the challenge of feeding the world's growing population.

Aligned with the objectives set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, the research at this new center will focus on biological and sustainable solutions that can improve the efficiency of nutrient and water use, quality of crops, and the quality and life of soil using microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria.

Fungal diseases in agriculture, what´s next in Biocontrol?

Fungal diseases cause major losses in agriculture all over the world. There is an imperative need to control these diseases to meet food quantity and quality demands for the world population.¹ Growers today still rely heavily on synthetical pesticides to treat fungal diseases. However, despite the high efficacy obtained with this type of products, mass use of these pesticides can lead to environmental contamination,  chemical residue in foodstuffs, and resistance issues.

Thus, biological control of fungal diseases through the use of antagonistic microorganisms is emerging as a promising alternative to help reduce excessive use of synthetical pesticides.² These biopesticides have many advantages in terms of sustainability, mechanisms of action and toxicity compared to their chemical counterparts, and their use in both organic strategies and integrated pest management (IPM) programmes is proving to be very successful.³

The main active ingredient in some of Rovensa Next's biocontrol products is Bacillus subtilis IAB/BS03, a new patented bacterial strain designed for use as a biological control agent to combat a broad spectrum of diseases.⁴ The B. subtilis IAB/BS03 strain contained in the products was selected after comprehensive screening processes carried out on hundreds of microbial strains isolated from the rhizosphere and soil samples collected from nature. This strain was selected due to its biocontrol abilities to eradicate a broad spectrum of fungal diseases and to its phenotypical features. In fact, it is these attributes that set it apart from other Bacillus strains on the market enabling it to perform under a wide range of environmental conditions (temperature, salinity, pH, drought), and making it suitable for application in many areas around the world.

Selecting the correct microbial strain is a key step in developing microbial-based products in Rovensa Next, as this ensures the successful performance of the product under a wide range of conditions. If the microbial strain selected for the formulation of a biocontrol product does not have the right genetic performance capabilities, no matter how well this microbial active ingredient is formulated, the product will not succeed.

Once this powerful active ingredient has been selected, it is formulated in such a way that will help to enhance the product's performance when applied in the field and to extend the product's shelf-life.

Rovensa Next has different formulas which include the B. subtilis IAB/BS03 strain. These formulations transform a wide range of biocontrol agents into more specific products in terms of the pathogens they target. The range of formulas developed and marketed around the world to treat different types of fungal diseases include:

Milagrum Plus: this is especially effective when treating downy mildew and other foliar diseases, thanks to its perfect combination of new generation Bacillus subtilis strains developed with Bioevology^®, an exclusive formulation technology that maximises their fungicidal effect through an optimised microbial fermentation process.

Ospo Vi55: this next-generation biofungicide is used for scab prevention (on deciduous fruit trees) and to cure plants affected by powdery mildew. It combines the Bacillus subtilis IAB/BS03 strain with solid synergetic co-formulants especially selected to boost its fungicidal effect.

Portento: this is a biofungicide with high field-proven efficacy for the control of a broader spectrum of diseases. The combination of the cyclic lipopeptides (CLP) metabolites it produces and its greater tolerance to abiotic stress make the IAB/BS03 strain a multipurpose tool for growers, with application at low doses that is compatible with most low concentration coppers and sulphurs. Moreover, it leaves no synthetic chemical residues on crops and has no or a very short safety period (1 day).

This family of products has been created thanks to the microbial-based product formulation technology developed over the last 20 years by Rovensa Next's companies.

Quality in the production process of the microbial-based products is the third key point when creating microbial biocontrol-based solutions. It is crucial to optimise the production process of the microbial actives to ensure quality.

When producing microorganisms at industrial scale it is important to set up quality control points at every step of the process to prevent batches of contaminant microorganisms. Every batch produced is subjected to quality controls to ensure that the microorganisms produced are the right ones, at the desired concentration, and with no contaminants. The formulated batches in which the microorganisms are included are also subjected to the same quality controls. These processes ensure the quality of our products.

Rovensa Next is the new global business unit of Rovensa Group, dedicated to biosolutions for agriculture, created to support farmers and distributors to solve real sustainability challenges. With a powerful and holistic portfolio, Rovensa Next aims to shape a sustainable future for agriculture and drive its bio-transformation.

Rovensa Next aggregates ten Rovensa Group companies: Agrichembio, Agrotecnología, Idai Nature, Microquimica, MIP Agro, OGT, Oro Agri, Rodel, SDP, and Tradecorp, creating an integrated platform of innovative biosolutions that combines local technical knowledge, innovation, and teams that work alongside farmers and distributors in the field.

Bringing these 10 distinct companies together under one business unit has enabled Rovensa Next to create one of the industry’s broadest portfolio of bionutrition, biostimulant, biocontrol and bioenhancer products, offering farmers complete input solutions aimed at guaranteeing yield and performance, and promoting sustainable agriculture practices.（See more at: www.rovensanext.com）

References

1. Strange and Scott, 2005.
   

2. Cawoy et al., 2011.
   

3. Jacobsen et al., 2004
   

4. Hinarejos et al., 2014.
   
   

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