AgroPages-NOOA presents AURAS featuring a unique <em>Bacillus aryabhattai</em> strain validated by Embrapa-Agricultural news

The Brazilian biological inputs company NOOA has introduced the AURAS technology, the only product in the country containing the Bacillus aryabhattai strain validated by Embrapa. AURAS was developed in partnership with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa).

The product, according to the manufacturer, originates from the CMAA 1363 isolate of the Bacillus aryabhattai strain, which provides ″greater protection to the productive potential of crops.″ NOOA claims that AURAS helps plants ″suffer less during droughts and develop more quickly when ideal growing conditions return.″

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Caio Furtado, Executive Business Director of NOOA, explains that not all Bacillus aryabhattai are the same. Embrapa researchers found different isolates of Bacillus aryabhattai, but only the CMAA 1363 strain exhibited the characteristics necessary to encode drought tolerance. ″AURAS was developed from bacteria isolated from the roots of a cactus, the mandacaru,″ reveals Caio Furtado.

This bioprospecting was conducted by researchers from Embrapa Meio Ambiente in a project that began in 2009. They observed that the rhizosphere microbiome of plants studied in the Caatinga contained one set of microorganisms during the rainy season and another during the dry season. ″After isolation, the bacteria from the dry season were selected based on their drought tolerance characteristics,″ highlights the executive. Subsequent studies revealed that the CMAA 1363 isolate produces substances that protect and activate plant genes, enabling them to endure high temperatures and prolonged drought periods.

The Executive Business Director of NOOA emphasizes that the benefits promoted by AURAS occur through four main mechanisms: root development, production of substances that protect and hydrate the root system, water retention in the plant, and production of antioxidant enzymes. ″Plants under stress produce many toxic substances in their cells. AURAS reduces the accumulation of these toxic components, known as reactive oxygen species, transforming them into non-toxic substances. This process performs a thorough cellular cleansing in the plant, reducing the effects of stress,″ he concludes.

A study conducted by Kynetec indicates that the bio-input market grew by about 50% in the 22/23 harvest compared to the previous period. This number, according to NOOA, demonstrates that biological control is advancing in Brazil, driven by factors such as the balance between pests and the ecosystem, ESG practices, and reduced use of chemical pesticides.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)