AgriFoodTure’s current project portfolio consists of 11 projects which contributes to the green transition of the food and agriculture system. One of the projects is Climate-friendly Plant Biologicals which project manager Mette Walter answers 3 questions about here:
What is the goal of the project?
The overall goal of the project is to strengthen the quantification of the effect of plant biologicals in terms of efficacy and crop production as well as the impact on the climate, environment and biodiversity. Plant biologicals are products derived from natural sources such as microorganisms, plants, or their extracts and can include biofertilizers, biopesticides, and biostimulants
What is the current status of the project?
The first field trials were established in August 2023. We are testing two different trial designs to evaluate the effect of a biostimulant on oil seed rape yield. Also, we are conducting classical three-factorial trials, together with a sensor intensive large scale trial. The results will be available in autumn 2024. We are currently planning the next trials campaign for 2024.
Furthermore, a workshop was held at Aarhus University with a wide range of speakers and participants. The outcome of the workshop is to develop a framework to estimate the impact of plant biologicals to the environment.
How will the project contribute to the green transition?
As a part of the EU Green Deal Strategy, the use and risk of chemical pesticides and fertilizers must be reduced by 50% and 20%, respectively. Reducing the use of chemical products without any alternatives runs the risk of a great indirect climate effect in terms of loss of yields. Plant biologicals can play a key role in the green transition of agro-food systems as they can partly substitute chemical products.
The outcome of the project will accelerate the green transition by providing a paradigm, cases and statistical models on how to document and demonstrate the potential of the plant biologicals, and tools to estimate the impact of the applied plant biologicals.
