The Environmental Impact and Effective Biological Alternatives

The excessive use of nutrients, especially Nitrogen and Phosphorus, has become a form of pollution, damaging ecosystems. 

Almost 80% of Nitrogen used in fertilizers is lost to the environment through soil erosion, leaching, atmospheric conversion, and other forms of waste, causing a decline in the quality of not only the soil, but also water. Similar effects on soil and water quality occur with the intensive application of Phosphorus, where 70% to 90% quickly becoming unavailable to plants. Therefore, some Phosphorus accumulates in the soil, changing pH, ion exchange capacity, and the diversity and functionality of the microbiome, and can also be lost to the environment.

The leached fertilizers will deposit in the groundwater and enter waterways, causing the proliferation of toxic algae - cyanobacteria - which in turn trigger the darkening of deeper waters with the consequent death of Posidonia sp. and Caulerpa sp. communities that generate oxygen. The presence of toxins and limited oxygen in the water negatively affects the entire trophic chain, including fish.

Examples of this climatic disaster are Lake Atitlán in Guatemala and the Mar Menor in Spain, where excess Nitrogen and Phosphorus are causing the proliferation of cyanobacteria and the consequent deterioration of the water quality.

One of the solutions to these problems is the use of new methods of nutrient supply, such as the use of microorganism based biofertilizers that make nutrients bioavailable to the root system without the need to apply synthetic fertilizers.

In recent years, Asfertglobal, together with the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, developed solutions based on Nitrogen fixing and Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria that help plants obtain macronutrients essential to their nutrition, without causing any risk or pollution to the environment.

Kiplant AllGrip is composed of a microbial consortium - Bacillus megaterium, BS1 strain (CECT 30400) - 33.3%; Pseudomonas fluorescens, BS2 strain (CECT 30401) - 33.3%; Pseudomonas putida, BS3 strain (CECT 30402) - 33.3% - which contributes decisively to the solubilization of Phosphorus present in the soil and especially to the production of indole acetic acid, ensuring the constant growth of the root system. In addition, Kiplant AllGrip increases the presence of beneficial microorganisms in the rhizosphere, including mycorrhizae, resulting in better control of pathogenic microorganisms.

During the fermentation process of Kiplant AllGrip, secondary metabolites are produced that achieve direct action on crop growth and productivity, with consistent results in a wide variety of soils, therefore, enabling the effective reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers.

The efficacy of this product has been widely tested, and we present here the results of two trials conducted by Anadiag and Solvitae (Certified Trial Companies).

Efficacy of Kiplant AllGrip on cucumber production

The trial was conducted in the Montemor-o-Velho region, Portugal, in a cucumber greenhouse of the Arianne var. 

Kiplant AllGrip was applied by fertigation at doses of 3 l/ha, 6 l/ha and 12 l/ha, divided into two applications made on August 31 and September 14, 2017. For the control, untreated plants were used in the trial.

The plots that received applications of Kiplant AllGrip in doses of 3, 6 and 12 l/ha were statistically superior to the control plots. And the plots where Kiplant AllGrip was applied at a dose of 6 and 12 l/ha showed a statistically higher yield than the plots where Kiplant AllGrip was applied at a dose of 3 l/ha.

Efficacy of Kiplant AllGrip on yield and soil microbial community enhancement in greenhouse tomatoes

The trial was conducted in a greenhouse in the Torres Vedras region, Portugal, var. Reconquista x Maxifort with tomato plants installed on the ground. Treatments were performed at 3 l/ha, 6l/ha and 12 l/ha of AllGrip, divided into two applications.

The increase in mycorrhizal fungi was reflected in the yield of the crop, which saw a 32.9% increase.

This article was originally published in the magazine 2023 Biologicals Special.