The agricultural sector has recently had to demonstrate its essential role in ensuring the food supply to society, with a global population that is also growing at an unprecedented rate. However, our farmers face all kinds of increasing challenges, and one particularly noteworthy challenge is climate change.
In this context, biostimulants are increasingly playing a leading role in agricultural production. The contribution of biostimulants to agriculture is already significant, and the forecast is that their market will quadruple between 2020 and 2030 globally. They are expected to continue contributing to more profitable and sustainable agriculture, increasing the competitiveness of countries that invest in high-quality export productions, such as Spain. It is also anticipated that they will help produce more with less, by reducing the use of nitrogen and other chemical elements, which is very much aligned with the European Commission’s ‘Farm to Fork’ Strategy, which aims for a 20% reduction in fertilizers and a 50% reduction in crop protection products by 2030.
Valuing the essential role of agricultural biostimulants, and specifically those made from microalgae biomass, is the goal of the MicroClimatt Operational Group, which seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative biostimulant solutions derived from microalgae that can efficiently combat the effects of climate change on crops such as tomatoes or wheat. MicroClimatt will evaluate in these crops the effects that, at the physiological and transcriptomic levels, are induced by treatment with novel microalgae biostimulants, including conditions caused by climate change either directly or indirectly, such as situations of water stress or deficient fertilization rates.
The MicroClimatt Operational Group, with a budget of €557,816.49, is co-financed by the European Union at 80% through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and at 20% by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with the managing authority responsible for applying the aid being the Directorate General for Rural Development, Innovation and Agro-Food Training (DGDRIFA). The project is promoted and coordinated by AlgaEnergy, a world leader in the microalgae biotechnology sector and its applications, and includes top members such as the Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis (IBVF) of the University of Seville, the Madrid Institute of Research and Rural, Agricultural and Food Development (IMIDRA), the Center for Edaphology and Applied Biology of Segura (CEBAS-CSIC), and the Young Farmers Agrarian Association (ASAJA). Additionally, BIOVEGEN – Technological Platform for Plant Biotechnology will be responsible for coordinating the activities of valorization and dissemination.
In addition to evaluating the improvement of drought stress resistance and nutrient use efficiency in tomato and wheat crops treated with microalgae biostimulants, the MicroClimatt Operational Group also aims to quantify carbon incorporation into the plant biomass of crops linked to increased productivity, assess the increase of organic carbon incorporation into the “soil sink,” and study the enhancement of soil fertility due to the treatment of crops with microalgae derivatives, as well as the improvement of soil quality, functionality, and sustainability.
About AlgaEnergy
AlgaEnergy is a biotechnology-based company specialized exclusively in the microalgae sector. The company consolidates the deep knowledge existing in Spain in the science of microalgae, generated by universities and other research centers over the last 5 decades. With strong investment in R&D, it has positioned itself as the international benchmark in this field. AlgaEnergy’s mission is to develop and market innovative, high-quality solutions based on microalgae, aimed at meeting specific needs in various industries.
About IBVF
The Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis (IBVF) is a Joint Center of the University of Seville and the CSIC, aimed at studying the biology of photosynthetic organisms responsible for the primary production of organic matter and oxygen in the biosphere. A uniqueness that distinguishes IBVF from other centers in the field of biotechnology and plant biology is its approach to studying phototrophic biology in all its complexity, that is, utilizing all types of photosynthetic organisms (cyanobacteria, microalgae, and plants). Scientific activity at IBVF focuses on molecular and cellular biology of photosynthetic organisms, as well as on “omics” techniques (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) and big data analysis.
About CEBAS
CEBAS-CSIC aims to contribute, through research, to generate the necessary knowledge to develop strategies for achieving the sustainability of fragile resources in semi-arid areas, managing them properly and making it possible to develop quality agriculture in that environment and obtain healthy and safe plant foods. The research conducted will help address issues such as water scarcity, provide a better environment (reduction of the greenhouse effect, conservation of soil and vegetation, as well as organic matter and carbon), thus ensuring sustainable, intelligent agriculture that is adapted to climate change and capable of mitigating it.
About IMIDRA
The Madrid Institute of Agricultural and Rural Research and Development (IMIDRA) is the public research body of the Community of Madrid tasked with carrying out R&D actions and supporting innovation in the primary sector and its associated industry. It has 8 farms and facilities to implement R&D, pilot projects, and demonstration activities, conduct analysis services, disseminate and showcase its results, provide training, and facilitate the transfer of R&D results. In MicroClimatt, it participates through the Agro-food R&D Department.
About ASAJA
Asaja (Agrarian Association of Young Farmers) was established in 1989 as a result of the merger of CNAG, CNJA, and UFADE. It is a professional agrarian organization in Spain, with over 850 offices spread throughout the national territory. It has a National Headquarters located in Madrid, 15 Regional Centers, 40 provincial offices, and 810 local offices, as well as a permanent representation office in Brussels. Asaja is constituted for the representation, management, defense, and promotion of the professional interests of the agricultural sector in general and its member organizations with full legal personality and subject to strictly democratic principles. As a national organization with a general vocation, it integrates all branches of agricultural activity, including agricultural, livestock, forestry, environmental management, and hunting activities. The national office is comprised of a technical department (each specialized in a specific subject), a labor-tax department, a communication department, and a training department.
About BIOVEGEN
BIOVEGEN-Vegetable Biotechnology Technological Platform is a public-private association currently composed of 145 members (companies and research/technology centers) working in agbiotechnology innovation. The aim of BIOVEGEN is to promote R&D activities in collaboration with science and industry, offer R&D management services, and facilitate the business development of its members through plant innovation. BIOVEGEN is supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
“Content responsible: MICROCLIMATT Operational Group”