Agrocete: Combination of different bacteria in a formulation is a major trend

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 Andrea de Figueiredo Giroldo, Marketing and Technical Development Director at Agrocete.

Andrea de Figueiredo Giroldo

Marketing and Technical Development director at Agrocete

Could you describe Agrocete's Bradyrhizobium inoculant product line for different legume crops and how it differs from competitors?

The complete line of inoculants from Agrocete is called the GRAP NOD line, NOD derived from the word nodules, which are the special structures formed on the roots of leguminous plants when the successful inoculation of nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the genus Bradyrhizobium occurs. We currently have four formulations containing Bradyrhizobium bacteria: NOD L+, NOD F, NOD Fc, and NOD AmL. Each of these products is specifically formulated for soybean, common bean, cowpea, and peanut crops, and differentiated by their species and strains. Our products have formulations exclusively developed for each microorganism and target crop, allowing for maximum efficiency and performance in the field, in addition to having rigorous quality control that ensures a high concentration of colony-forming cells, absence of contaminants, and a long shelf life.

What quality control measures does Agrocete use to ensure consistent performance of its products?

The production of Bradyrhizobium follows strict quality control, with dozens of microbiological analyses performed at different stages of the production process to ensure the growth and viability of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Brazilian legislation for inoculant quality control, given by Normative Instruction number 30 from the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA), is quite rigorous, and we fully comply with its requirements. The bacterial strains used in the process are annually acquired from a MAPA-accredited laboratory, cultivated on a laboratory and industrial scale according to Agrocete's fermentation parameters, which ensure purity and cell concentration. Agrocete also holds ISO 9001 certification, which certifies the standardization and traceability of its products.

Based on field data, what yield increases and ROI can growers expect from using your products?

Since this bacterium is not native to Brazilian soils, its introduction and annual reinoculation are essential to fully exploit its benefits. The most relevant benefit generated in the fields is the cost savings on nitrogen fertilizers, as fertilization costs are usually among the highest in agricultural cultivation in Brazil.

According to data published by EMBRAPA, annual inoculation brings an average increase of 8% in soybean productivity. Furthermore, it completely eliminates the need for mineral nitrogen application in the crop, even at high productivity levels, as long as the inoculation is performed correctly and with quality products.

Without Bradyrhizobium, there would be an average demand of 600 kg of urea per hectare to provide the necessary nitrogen for crop development. This would result in more than 25 million tons of nitrogen fertilizer to support the production of our 45.7 million hectares nationwide. Therefore, we can confidently state that annual inoculation is a practice that increases the profitability of the grower and enhances the competitiveness of our agriculture on a global scale.

What formulation technologies does Agrocete use to enhance survival and performance of Bradyrhizobium in its inoculants?

For the production of liquid Bradyrhizobium inoculant, Agrocete uses microorganisms recognized by official research and regulated by MAPA. Industrial production utilizes high-quality raw materials, with fermentation carried out in stainless steel bioreactors, and the product stabilized in such a way that viable cells in high concentration are delivered throughout the entire shelf life.

To extend the cell viability of Bradyrhizobium, Agrocete offers the product Extra NOD, an additive for seed treatment that allows the cells to remain viable for longer.

Bradyrhizobium is packaged in plastic bags with special technology that allows gas exchanges by the bacteria, providing conditions for maintaining the microorganism’s aerobic activities. Our distribution network, present in all producing regions of Brazil and also in some Latin American countries, stores products in Kraft boxes that reduce heat accumulation. Additionally, the products are stored at temperatures between 15 and 28 degrees Celsius, ensuring adequate conditions for the cellular maintenance of the product.

What were the key challenges in developing effective Bradyrhizobium inoculants for high crop yields?

Our Research & Development team worked on obtaining products that could combine a high concentration of nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Bradyrhizobium), allowing a large number of bacterial cells on the seeds, and efficient nodulation on the roots of soybeans and other legumes. Additionally, we also have formulations that contain solutions stabilizing the bacteria’s metabolism, allowing greater viability and effectiveness of the strains in nitrogen fixation, and high adherence of the product to the seeds.

The goal was to develop a Bradyrhizobium-based product that ensures the adequate supply of nitrogen for high productivity, especially in soybean cultivation, at a low cost while contributing to the maximum socioeconomic and environmental sustainability of agricultural production systems.

Recent studies have revealed that the combination of microorganisms like Bradyrhizobium and Pseudomonas oryzihabitans can increased crop yield in comparison with individually treated crop. In your opinion, what additional benefits do these combinations provide?

In Brazil, the most commonly used combination is Bradyrhizobium with Azospirillum. Here, the coinoculation, the name given to the joint use of these two genera of bacteria in soybeans, is already a success and adopted by a significant portion of producers, bringing important benefits such as increased root system and greater water and nutrient absorption by the roots. According to EMBRAPA, coinoculation brings an additional 8% increase over inoculation with Bradyrhizobium alone and 16% over soybean planting without any inoculant.

Undoubtedly, the combination of different bacteria in a formulation is a major market trend for the coming years. In this context, at the end of 2023, we launched NOD PHOS, the first inoculant registered for soybeans in Brazil with the combination of three specific strains of bacteria.

This solution is a 3-in-1 biological input that provides Phosphorus Solubilization, Growth Promotion, and an increase in Biological Nitrogen Fixation in a single package. In the tests conducted for its registration, an average productivity increase of 27% and an additional 8.6 bags per hectare were observed compared to areas without seed inoculation. The studies were conducted in four different locations in the states of Paraná, São Paulo, and Mato Grosso do Sul.

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

For future perspectives, we seek technologies that allow us to incorporate other genera of microorganisms into joint formulations, combining nitrogen fixation with other functions such as plant protection and stress resistance induction, for example. We aim for formulations that enable maximum viability and durability of the microorganism, both in seed treatment performed by the producer and in industrial seed treatment, facilitating its applicability in the field.

Another option we foresee is enriching microbial formulations with other elements such as plant extracts, nutrients, metabolites, among others, which would enable us to offer the market multifunctional products with greater benefits for farmers.

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

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