Modern agriculture faces significant challenges related to nutrient leaching, water scarcity, and increased susceptibility to pests and diseases, driven by the intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that degrade soil biodiversity and long-term fertility. These issues particularly affect crops such as citrus, vine, wheat, olive, and peach trees, especially under climate change conditions that reduce yields and increase production costs.
To address these challenges, researchers at the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) in Barcelona, Spain, have isolated novel Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) strains that enhance nutrient and water uptake and improve plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses across Mediterranean and subtropical crops.
The identified AMF strains form symbiotic associations with plant roots, enhancing the uptake of key nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen and improving water-use efficiency. They also increase plant tolerance to biotic stress (pests and pathogens) and abiotic stress (drought and salinity). These strains have shown strong performance in a wide range of crops, including citrus, vine, wheat, olive, Prunus species, avocado, medlar, and aromatic plants, with greenhouse and semi-controlled trials demonstrating improvements in plant vigor, growth, and resilience, particularly when early inoculation is applied.
The technology has reached TRL 5, with validation in nursery and semi-controlled field conditions, showing consistent benefits in Mediterranean environments and potential for transfer to similar climates. Before licensing, pilot-scale trials in real agricultural settings are planned to confirm large-scale performance.
Benefits:
- Enhanced crop yields through improved nutrient and water uptake.
- Increased resilience to drought, pests and diseases, reducing yield losses.
- Support for sustainable agriculture by improving soil biodiversity and long-term fertility.
- Use of novel AMF strains, contributing to species diversification.
The represented institution is looking for a collaboration that leads to a commercial exploitation of the presented invention. The research team is open to pilot trials in real production environments prior to a licensing agreement to validate performance under target conditions.
Institution: Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA)
TRL: 5
Protection Status: Not patented
Contacto: Nuria Bas / nuria@viromii.com