Moving towards a more productive and sustainable agriculture thanks to microalgae

On March 31, the presentation event of the “MICROCLIMATT Operational Group: Microalgae for productive and sustainable agriculture” was held. This project is led by a consortium of companies and R&D&i centers that aims to respond to the needs of modern agriculture; That is, meeting the demands of a population that demands that agricultural activities not only respond to the interests of increased productivity and quality, but also that they face in a respectful and sustainable manner the challenges of alleviating the effects of change. climate.

In short, productive, efficient and economically, socially and environmentally sustainable agriculture. One of the most popular solutions currently is the use of biostimulants, products that act on the physiology of the plant in different ways, improving vigor, crop yield and fruit quality. They are products of biological origin, without residue and safe, increasingly used in a wide variety of crops.

Microalgae are one of the most promising sources for developing this type of stimulating products. They are photosynthetic microorganisms that, thanks to their rich biochemical composition and the properties they possess, constitute a raw material of high quality and strategic value for use as agricultural inputs.

Microalgae are responsible for at least half of the planet's primary productivity and atmospheric oxygen, therefore being the fundamental basis of life on Earth. They are also CO fixing organisms.₂, so its cultivation can contribute to combating climate change.

The MICROCLIMATT project aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative biostimulant solutions derived from microalgae to efficiently combat the effects of climate change on highly important crops, such as tomatoes and wheat. The consortium will evaluate in these crops the effects that, at a physiological, biochemical and gene expression level, are induced by treatment with novel microalgae biostimulants, including conditions of water stress or low fertilization rates. Work will also be done on the quantification of the carbon captured by soils and crops treated with the proposed biostimulants.

The MICROCLIMATT project, with a budget of 557,816.49 euros and financed by the General State Administration (AGE) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), is promoted and coordinated by AlgaEnergy, an international leading company in the sector of microalgae biotechnology and its applications, and has top-level members such as the Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis (IBVF) of the University of Seville and the CSIC, the Madrid Institute of Rural, Agrarian and Food Research and Development (IMIDRA), the Segura Center for Soil Science and Applied Biology (CEBAS-CSIC) and the Agrarian Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA). Likewise, BIOVEGEN – Plant Biotechnology Technological Platform will be in charge of coordinating valorization and dissemination activities.

Thus, the webinar “MicroClimatt Operational Group: Microalgae for productive and sustainable agriculture” had the participation of more than 120 professionals from the sector and was dedicated to presenting the objectives and activities of this innovative project. To this end, the program had three well-differentiated blocks that allowed the project developments to be addressed from three key perspectives: business, science and farmer/end user.

The vision of the development company was provided by AlgaEnergy, which is already implementing the cultivation on a pilot and industrial scale of the strains of microalgae that will be used for the development and production of biostimulants. For their part, CEBAS-CSIC, IBVF-US-CSIC and IMIDRA presented the promising perspectives of the effect of these biostimulants on the proposed crops (wheat and tomato, of great relevance in the Spanish primary sector) and on the treated soils. Finally, ASAJA showed the commitment of science, business and farmers to collaborate to carry out demonstration trials of these innovative biostimulants from microalgae.

About AlgaEnergy

AlgaEnergy is a biotechnology-based company specialized exclusively in the microalgae sector. The company consolidates the deep knowledge that exists in Spain in the science of microalgae, generated by universities and other research centers over the last five decades. With a strong investment in R&D&i, it has positioned itself as the international reference in this field. AlgaEnergy's mission is to develop and market innovative and high-quality solutions, based on microalgae, that are aimed at responding to the specific needs in different industries.

About IBVF

The Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis (IBVF) is a Joint Center of the University of Seville and the CSIC, which aims to study the biology of photosynthetic organisms responsible for the primary production of organic matter and oxygen in the biosphere. A singularity that distinguishes the IBVF from other centers in the field of biotechnology and plant biology is addressing the study of phototrophic biology in all its complexity, that is, using all types of photosynthetic organisms (cyanobacteria, microalgae and plants). Scientific activity at the IBVF focuses on molecular and cellular biology of photosynthetic organisms, as well as “omic” techniques (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) and big data analysis.

About CEBAS

The CEBAS-CSIC seeks to contribute, through research, to generating the necessary knowledge that allows developing strategies to achieve the Sustainability of the fragile resources existing in semi-arid areas, managing them correctly and making possible in that environment, the development of a sustainable agriculture. quality and obtaining healthy and safe plant foods. The research carried out will help to address problems 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 guaranteeing sustainable, intelligent agriculture, and adapted to climate change, with the capacity to mitigate it.

About IMIDRA

The Madrid Institute for Rural, Agrarian and Food Research and Development (IMIDRA) is the public research organization of the Community of Madrid to carry out R&D actions and support innovation in the primary sector and its associated industry. It has 8 farms and facilities to implement R&D, pilot projects and demonstration activities, perform analysis services, disseminate and display its results, offer training, and facilitate the transfer of R&D results. In MicroClimatt participates through Agri-Food R&D Department.

About HANDLE

Asaja (Young Farmers Agrarian Association) was created in 1989 as a result of the merger agreement of CNAG, CNJA and UFADE. It is a professional agricultural organization in Spain, with more than 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 representative office in Brussels. Asaja is established 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 within it all branches of agricultural activity in its agricultural, livestock, forestry, environmental management and hunting activities. The national office is made up of a technical department (each specialized in a specific subject), labor-fiscal department, communication department and the training department.

About BIOVEGEN-Plant Biotechnology Technology Platform is a public-private partnership currently made up of 152 partners (companies and research/technological centers) working on agrobiotechnological innovation. The objective of BIOVEGEN is to promote R&D&i activities in science-business collaboration, offer R&D management services and facilitate the business development of its associates through plant innovation. BIOVEGEN is supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

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