Lallemand Plant Care: Unique new Bradyrhizobium species give more than nitrogen fixation

Editor’s note: As a widely commercialized product, Bradyrhizobium-based inoculants have great market prospects. According to data disclosed in the "Manual for Bioinput Analysis for Agricultural Use: Inoculants" recently released by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), in the 2022/23 soybean season, inoculants with Bradyrhizobium bacteria were used on 85% of cultivated area, while co-inoculation, or the combined use of Bradyrhizobium and Azospirillum, was used on some 35% of the country’s crop area, highlighting the advancement of this technology.

The use of inoculants can provide tremendous economic benefits. As mentioned in the ″Manual″ published by Embrapa, in soybean crops alone, over $25 billion is saved annually by using inoculants with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Recently, we spoke to some experts who are well-versed in Bradyrhizobium inoculants to gain a deeper understanding of this type of product. The experts are: Adam Fast, Field Solutions Specialist at Lallemand Plant Care; Dr. Manas Banerjee, President & CEO of XiteBio; Marc Beland, Senior Director Agriculture at Premier Tech; Andrea de Figueiredo Giroldo, Marketing and Technical Development Director at Agrocete, and Antonio Carlos Zem, CEO at Biotrop. 

Below is the transcript of the interview with Adam Fast, Field Solutions Specialist at Lallemand Plant Care.

Adam Fast

Field Solutions Specialist at Lallemand Plant Care

Could you describe Lallemand Plant Care's Bradyrhizobium inoculant product line featuring the unique B. elkanii species, and how it differs from products with B. japonicum?

Lallemand Plant Care offers several inoculant options based on our unique new Bradyrhizobium species, B. elkanii. This B. elkanii species has a different biological makeup from the classic B. japonicum species found in most similar products. 

Bradyrhizobium elkanii has an increased saturated fatty acid content which resists temperature fluctuations, while also having innate greater stress resistance relative to B. japonicum species. Additionally, we have found greater nitrogen fixation and overall plant nitrogen content when using B. elkanii. 

Our soybean inoculants contain two strains of B. elkanii, where one strain is very efficient at fixing nitrogen and the other is aggressive at forming nodules. Bradyrhizobium elkanii is available in several options in our LALFIX product line, including our premium LALFIX PROYIELD LIQUID SOYBEAN and LALFIX START SPHERICAL SOYBEAN inoculants. 

What quality control measures does your company employ to ensure consistent high performance of your product, from strain selection to production and batch testing?

Lallemand Plant Care is one of 11 business units under Lallemand Inc. Globally, we lead several industries that utilize microbial technologies such as Animal Nutrition and Biofuels & Distilled Spirits. Our company has been involved in the production of microorganisms and their derivatives for over a century. Of the 5000+ global Lallemand employees, over 600 have doctoral degrees in microbiology or related fields. Focusing on our Bradyrhizobium products, we employ several measures to ensure high performance. 

Our strain selection process is extremely rigorous, where we rely on trusted institutions for selecting high-performing strains of Bradyrhizobium. We want strains that are well-suited to target crops and various environmental conditions (CFIA, USDA, INRAE, EMBRAPA, etc.). We conduct in-vitro testing where select strains are grown in a controlled environment and tested for their nitrogen-fixing capabilities (e.g., ureide testing). This is expanded to field trials where strains are tested in real-world conditions. 

During the production process, we perform regular checks to ensure consistency of the inoculant. Each product batch is also tested to ensure it meets its required standards and every batch will have a certificate of analysis (CoA) delivered internally. This includes testing for contaminants, and physical and chemical properties that could reduce the effectiveness of the inoculant. Lastly, we have a global complaint system where we look to continuously improve our products based on feedback internally and from our customers.

Based on field trial data, what typical yield increases or ROI can growers expect to see when using your products?

While no two fields or seasons are the same, we observe repeated benefits from the use of our B. elkanii products. Each year Lallemand Plant Care runs a variety of commercial field-scale and small-plot replicated trials on product efficacy and market comparison. We strive to continually test our products in-field to highlight their potential. As an example in southern Manitoba, we have observed yield increases around 5% relative to similar products on the market and a cumulative commercial trial win rate of 88% over three years. 

Could you explain the unique formulation approach and carrier technology used in Lallemand Plant Care's latest granular LALFIX START SPHERICAL SOYBEAN inoculant?

Lallemand Plant Care offers traditional liquid and peat-based soybean inoculants designed for either in-furrow or on-seed applications. We have also brought to market our LALFIX START SPHERICAL SOYBEAN granular inoculant. This product delivers our dual strain B. elkanii species along with Bacillus velezensis in an easy-to-use low-dust formulation. This product utilizes our proprietary bioengineered spherical granule carrier technology, also used in our pulse portfolio, to deliver another in-furrow option for growers. The addition of our Bacillus velezensis species improves root colonization, biofilm formation and phosphorous solubilization from organic and mineral phosphates. These actions complement the performance of B. elkanii to increase early-season plant establishment, root growth, and productivity.

What were the key challenges faced by the R&D team in developing Bradyrhizobium inoculants?

Like in any Bradyrhizobium cultivation, the bacteria grow very slowly; therefore, continual purity is required for proper fermentation. We produce Bradyrhizobium in a small batch process to maintain total sterile conditions, which further emphasizes our quality control measures. After fermentation, challenges can continue into packaging and user application. Lallemand Plant Care places great importance in delivering bacteria that are ready to perform in-field. An example of this is seen in our LALFIX PROYIELD LIQUID SOYBEAN inoculant. Here, B. elkanii is co-packed with a proprietary Delftia acidovorans bacteria. Synergistically, each bacteria improves overall survivability in the product bladder and on-seed. This co-formulation facilitates greater quality and effectiveness of the inoculant. 

In your opinion, what are the potential benefits of combining Bradyrhizobium with other plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR)?

Utilizing plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in broad-acre crops has been successfully employed for many decades. We classically think of these bacteria as ″nitrogen fixers″ in the biological nitrogen fixation process, sold commercially as inoculants; however, a diversity of other PGPRs (i.e., Pseudomonas or Bacillus spp.) are being marketed and used to improve other plant growth functions. There are synergies available in utilizing a PGPR to increase plant-available phosphorous while also using a Bradyrhizobium inoculant to increase nitrogen uptake. Back to basic fertility, if nitrogen and phosphorous are no longer limiting, greater plant development and yield can be anticipated if other growth requirements are met.

What do you think are the new trends and directions in the development and application of Bradyrhizobium inoculant in the future?

As precision agriculture and on-farm technology increases, greater advancement in the application of Bradyrhizobium inoculants will likely occur. In a similar fashion to spot-spraying with herbicides or prescription soil fertility mapping, precision inoculant applications will come around. If we can properly and precisely place inoculant in-field, we can maximize resource and nutrient utilization. In combination with other biological products (i.e., PGPRs), proper genetics, and the fundamentals of agronomy, we will greatly improve crop performance. 

This story was initially published in the 2024 Seed Treatment Special. Download the magazine to read more stories.

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