Brazil: ANPII associates registers 2 new strains of Azospirillum brasilense

Two new strains of Azospirillum brasilense, HM 053 and HM 210, have received approval from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) for the Brazilian market. The new strains were identified and isolated by the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), one of the world's leading research centers that specializes in studying this bacterium.

The material was provided to the National Association of Inoculant Producers and Importers (ANPII) for feasibility studies on the efficiency of its use. Solon Cordeiro de Araújo, founding member of ANPII, said the introduction of new strains of Azospirillum, which have the potential for releasing more nitrogen in the soil-plant system, is an opportunity to have more choices of biological inoculants, according to their characteristics, which is "essential for market growth, as microorganisms have greater or lesser affinity to certain soils, climates and plant genetic materials."

Cordeiro de Araújo stressed that Azospirillum is a broad-spectrum bacterium and is considered ″multifunctional,″ because, in addition to fixing nitrogen, it also produces hormones for plant growth, especially roots, and plays a significant role in phosphorus solubilization.

"Since 2009, Brazil has had two excellent inoculant strains for crops, which achieved significant results during corn, wheat and soybean co-inoculations," he said. However, he explained that in a country the size of Brazil, which has a wide variety of soils and climates, farmers must have a "greater variety of microbiological material for their crops. That is why this new registration is so positive."

Larissa Simon, executive advisor at ANPII, said associated companies actively participated in the process of investigating the viability of the new strains, through a pioneering strategic technological alliance that brought together their research and development departments under a unique project. Through this joint effort, a common formulation of the bio-input was developed, creating a base product that was taken to the field for testing.

"This collaboration was essential for registration purposes and divided investments and work among the associated companies, with the aim of providing farmers with a new soybean co-inoculation technology," Simon said, affirming the importance of partnering with official entities contracted for field trials, and generating a single report that serves as the basis for the registration of all associated companies.

With Mapa's authorization, companies can now develop large-scale production and structure conditions for market entry. The next steps will involve testing the same material on various other crops and expanding the range of offerings for the agricultural market. 

In 2019, ANPII entered a public-private partnership with UFPR, which was essential for the development of the inoculant market. There are already two other partnerships in place for the development of new products. "We believe that the association's great differential is joint development. We are competitors outside ANPII, but here, we exchange experiences and ideas with the sole aim of strengthening and improving the sector, always bringing high-quality biological solutions to the field," Simon said in conclusion.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)