"Our index reflects the purchasing power of producers, which is positive as of January 2024. However, we anticipate a challenging year ahead given the current results of the ongoing crop," evaluates Bruno Fonseca, research and sector analysis analyst for the input market at Rabobank Brazil.
After a 10 percent decline in deliveries to the final consumer from 2021 to 2022, the market showed a considerable improvement, largely due to the drop in international prices. While final numbers for 2023 are not available, the disclosed figures until the end of October suggest that deliveries to the final consumer have a high likelihood of surpassing 44 million tons, representing a substantial growth over 2022.
For 2024, Fonseca projects another good year in terms of deliveries to the final consumer. "In Rabobank's view, we even have the conditions to exceed the 45.8 million tons delivered in 2021, the record to date. Despite the current situation of key crops in Brazil, such as the reduction in the soybean harvest, producers are expected to continue investing in fertilization in the upcoming season. We still have plenty of time until the next planting season in September, but our outlook remains positive," he asserts.
Rise of biofertilizersThe Brazilian market for specialty fertilizers, in general, has been gaining considerable ground, and experts from Rabobank's input team anticipate this trend to persist, with excellent performance in this segment in the coming years. Among these, biofertilizers have come back into focus for producers after the excessive price hikes in conventional fertilizers since 2021.
"As an alternative, producers are paying more attention to biofertilizers. However, there are additional reasons for this increased attention,” explains Fonseca. “As highlighted in our study published during the second half of last year, sustainability has played a significant role. With the adoption of biofertilizers, many producers are already moving towards regenerative agriculture, a trend gaining traction in the sector that can bring not only financial gains through premiums but also productivity gains.”
Although synthetic fertilizer prices returned to historical average levels in 2023, the strictly economic rationale for increased use of biofertilizers might have weakened in the past year. However, according to the Rabobank expert, the demand for biofertilizers seems promising, as consumers are increasingly aware of the importance of food sustainability. Additionally, reducing the carbon footprint in agricultural activities is already a reality for the biofuel sector in the country and will likely become a priority for more agribusiness sectors shortly.
Raw material challengeComposting, as a tool for biofertilizer production, has been gaining popularity, especially in regions with beef cattle feedlots. However, its implementation may be easier for those already practicing crop-livestock systems, while other activities may face challenges in the supply chain, such as availability and quality standards.
Among the study options for biofertilizers, composting was chosen because it is one of the most widely used methods by producers and generally has well-known processes. Another influencing factor was its adaptability to various regions. In the southern state of Minas Gerais, for example, various types of waste are used for compost production, including waste from various industries, forest residues, chicken litter, dairy cattle manure, beef cattle feedlot manure, coffee straw and peanut shells, among others.
A brief explanation of how the composting process works is warranted. This method aims to transform organic waste (manure, straw, sawdust) through the action of microorganisms into a nutrient-enriched product that can be used as organic fertilizer.
The formation of composting piles in the composting yard is done through machinery, alternating layers of plant material (sugar cane bagasse, sawdust, or another carbon source) and bovine manure as a nitrogen source. The carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio is a crucial indicator of biological activity and is measured by the ratio between the total concentration of organic carbon and the total concentration of organic and inorganic nitrogen. The result is the amount of nitrogen available for the degradation of organic matter by microorganisms.
The use of additives such as natural phosphate, besides being cheaper, can also provide secondary nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and manganese. The use of agricultural gypsum reduces ammonia losses through volatilization during the process. The decomposing
microorganisms are aerobic, requiring an adequate amount of oxygen. This process also prevents the release of unpleasant odours and ensures homogeneous decomposition. It's important to note that excess moisture, soil compaction and improper pile sizing can result in lower oxygen availability for decomposing agents and delay the maturation process, taking around three to six months, depending on environmental factors.
Moreover, the biofertilizer market is highly regionalized, adapting to different realities in Brazilian agriculture. The composition of biofertilizers can vary widely based on available waste, making them versatile but challenging in terms of raw material logistics and transportation.
"From an economic analysis comparing costs between conventional fertilization and mineral fertilization plus compost, the latter tends to be more expensive but offers more benefits, such as higher productivity and improved soil quality. Economic viability varies with mineral fertilizer prices and the required productivity to offset additional costs," states Fonseca.
Benefits of biofertilizersThe benefits of biofertilizers go beyond economic aspects. They contribute to increased organic matter in the soil, improve water retention, and reduce the carbon footprint by transforming waste into valuable resources. The supply of raw materials for biofertilizer production is expected to continue growing, especially with animal production waste and urban waste, creating the potential to reduce the need for mineral fertilizer imports.
Biofertilizers also serve as soil acidity correctors, maintaining a pH of around 7.5, and enhancing microbial biodiversity and soil physical properties, facilitating root penetration and the adsorption of essential nutrients.
Another advantage of using biofertilizers is that, until now, feedlot waste was considered an environmental liability and needed proper treatment for disposal. With biofertilizers, this manure ceases to be an environmental liability for the property and becomes an input. In addition to this, the reduction in the carbon footprint with the replacement of mineral fertilizers by biofertilizers can be included.
However, Fonseca emphasizes that some disadvantages of this process also deserve attention: the logistical costs of collecting and storing organic waste, as well as its application to the soil, are higher compared to synthetic fertilizers, which may limit the collection radius. In the case of cattle manure, there is seasonality in the quality of the compost during wet and dry periods. Another significant risk is when the decomposition of organic matter is not completed, as it can increase the number of harmful microorganisms in the soil, such as Fusarium, for example. Additionally, there is a potential increase in weed incidence.
"Knowledge transfer, the development of more efficient systems, and certification/standardization are initiatives that would drive the biofertilizer market. Thus, biofertilizers should not completely replace mineral fertilizers, but they have the potential to complement them, contributing to the long-term sustainability and resilience of agriculture," says Fonseca.
Future trendsThe supply of raw materials for biofertilizer production is expected to continue growing in the coming years. Brazil has the world's largest commercial cattle herd, and the trend of intensification in the activity is expected to maintain a positive potential for the construction of new animal feedlots.
In Rabobank's view, mineral fertilizers will continue to have the largest share in plant nutrition. However, 2022 taught that alternatives are needed for crisis moments, and the market is already demanding a shift to more sustainable sources. "In this way, combining these points, we understand that biofertilizers can gain a larger share in the national market, as well as specialty fertilizers," says Fonseca.
In his view, Brazil will continue to depend on imported fertilizers for some time. However, steps have been taken to reduce this dependence. In this context, the National Fertilizer Plan (PNF) launched in 2022 is a significant advancement for the sector, as well as its continuity after a change in government, demonstrating that the country truly understands the need for investment in this sector.
"A great success of this plan is not aiming for self-sufficiency, which is quite difficult to achieve given the level of demand in Brazilian agriculture, but rather seeking to significantly reduce external dependence. For this reason, this plan must continue to evolve," concludes Fonseca. ●
Revolving waste windrow. Photo: Tera Ambiental
Bruno Fonseca, research and sector analysis analyst for the input market at Rabobank Brazil.
As an alternative, producers are paying more attention to biofertilizers.
We screened the host genome sequences for insights into how they can affect the microbiome.
In a new study, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign explored this question and their work can help improve agriculture productivity.
“Previously, researchers have only looked at what kind of microbes are present in association with plants, but not what might be driving the formation of these communities and how we might be able to control these drivers through plant breeding,” said Angela Kent, a professor of natural resources and environmental sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Microbes form complex communities called microbiomes in and around the roots of plants. The host plants can dictate which microbes are invited into their roots – known as endophytes – using chemical signals. They can also alter the soil properties around the roots to influence which microbes can grow around the root surface, or rhizosphere. However, in order to breed plants based on what microbes they associate with, researchers first need to understand the extent to which plant genomes can influence the rhizosphere microbiome.
To answer this question, the researchers studied two native silver grass species – Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus floridulus. These plants are considered potential bioenergy crops because they require lower nutrient concentrations to achieve more growth compared to traditional crops.
The study was conducted in 16 sites across Taiwan and included a range of environmental conditions, such as hot springs, mountain peaks, and
valleys, to represent all possible environmental extremes. The researchers collected 236 rhizosphere soil samples from randomly selected Miscanthus plants and also isolated the microbiome inside the roots.
“Although the scale of this study was unprecedented, we were mindful of the plant protection and quarantine regulations. We processed the samples in Taiwan to extract the endophytic microbial community and collect the rhizosphere microbiome,” Kent said.
The researchers used two types of DNA sequencing techniques in their study. The microbiomes in and around the roots were identified using the DNA sequence of bacterial and fungal rRNA genes, focusing on the part of the genome that is unique to each species. The variation in the plant genome was measured using microsatellites, which are small pieces of repeating DNA that can distinguish even closely related plant populations.
“The samples were collected 15 years ago, when the project was too large for the sequencing capabilities at the time. As the cost of sequencing came down, it allowed us to revisit the data and take a closer look at the microbiome. During sample processing, we also inadvertently extracted plant DNA and we were able to use that as a resource for genotyping our Miscanthus populations,” Kent said.
“We screened the host genome sequences for insights into how they can affect the microbiome,” said Niuniu Ji, a postdoctoral researcher in the Kent lab. “I discovered that the plants affect the core microbiome, which was exciting.”
Although plant microbiomes are very diverse, the core microbiome is a collection of microbes that are found in most samples of a particular set of plants. These microbes are considered to play an important role in organizing which other microbes are associated with the plant and helping with host growth.
The core microbiome that the researchers found in Miscanthus included nitrogen-fixing bacteria that have been found in rice and barley in other studies. All these microbes play a role in helping the plants acquire nitrogen, which is a vital nutrient for plant growth. Recruiting
nitrogen-fixing microbes may help the plants adapt to different environments, but importantly, this capability contributes to the sustainability of this grass as a potential bioenergy crop.
On the other hand, the influence of the genetic variation among the plants had a lower effect on the rhizosphere microbiome, which was more strongly affected by the soil environment. Even so, the plants placed a greater emphasis on recruiting fungi compared to other microbes.
The researchers are interested in parsing out which genes play a role in influencing the microbiome. “The microsatellites do not have a biological function and are not representative of the whole genome. It would be nice if we could sequence the whole Miscanthus genome and figure out how the genes affect nitrogen fixation,” Ji said.
“Crop breeding is based on yield. However, we need to take a wider look and consider how microbes can contribute to crop sustainability,” Kent said. “The appeal of working with wild plants is that there is vast genetic variation to look at. We can identify which variants are good at recruiting nitrogen-fixing microbes because we can use fewer fertilizers on these crops. It’s an exciting possibility as we embark on adapting these plants for bioenergy purposes.”
The study “Host genetic variation drives the differentiation in the ecological role of the native Miscanthus root-associated microbiome” was published in Microbiome. The work was supported by the Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation.
Ananya Sen is research communication coordinator with Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. ●
Miscanthus species are bioenergy crops because they require lower nutrient concentrations to achieve more growth. Photo: L. Brian Stauffer
Angela Kent, a professor of natural resources and environmental sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
We screened the host genome sequences for insights into how they can affect the microbiome
A global study organized and led by Colorado State University (CSU) scientists shows that the effects of extreme drought has been greatly underestimated for grasslandsand shrublands.
The findings – published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences – quantify the impact of extreme short-term drought on grassland and shrubland ecosystems across six continents with a level of detail that was not previously possible. It is the first time an experiment this extensive has been undertaken to generate a baseline understanding of the potential losses of plant productivity in these vital ecosystems.
Melinda Smith, a professor in the Department of Biology at CSU, led the study and is the first author on the paper. She said the observed reduction in a key carbon cycle process after a single 1-in-100-year drought event greatly exceeds previously reported losses for grasslands and shrublands.
“We were able to determine that the loss of aboveground plant growth – a key measure of ecosystem function – was 60 percent greater when short-term drought was extreme compared to the less severe droughts that have been more commonly experienced historically,” she said. “Past studies suffered from methodological differences when estimating the impacts of extreme drought in natural ecosystems, but our standardized, distributed approach here addressed that problem.”
Smith added that the project also showcases the variability in drought response across grassland and shrubland ecosystems – offering both a review of the global impacts of climate change as well as a glimpse into which areas will be most stressed or most resilient in the coming years.
Known as the International Drought Experiment, the newly published research originally dates back to 2013 as part of the National Science Foundation’s Drought-Net Research Coordination Network. Altogether, there are more than 170 authors representing institutions from around the world cited in the new PNAS study, which was completed over the last four years.
To gather their data, researchers built rainfall manipulation structures to experimentally reduce the amount of naturally occurring precipitation available to ecosystems for at least a full growing season. About half of the participating sites imposed extreme drought conditions with these structures, while the rest imposed less severe drought for comparison.
Findings from the sites provide insight into how specific climates, soil and vegetation types broadly influence drought response. While the work shows that drier and less diverse sites like those in Colorado are likely to be the most vulnerable to extremes, Smith said the severity of the drought was the most consistent and important factor in determining an ecosystem’s response.
“Our data suggests greater losses in drier sites, but if you are getting to the extremes – which is what is being forecasted – we can generally expect substantial losses no matter where you are in the world,” she said. “We also found that even moderate losses from less severe droughts would still likely result in large impacts to the populations that rely on these systems. And then there is a combined loss of function across the globe to consider as well.”
Smith said the team is currently examining data collected fromthe full four years of the projectto now assess multiyear drought impacts globally. ●
Melinda Smith conducting research in the field. Photo: Colorado State University College of Natural Sciences
Salination causes stunted growth in plants, and oftentimes death. Researchers of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) have discovered that a local regulator protein encourages root growth in saline soil, which allows the plant to develop under these adverse conditions.
The findings have been published in the scientific journal The Plant Cell and form a critical basis for further research into the development of more resilient crop varieties.
Almost one-quarter of all irrigated farmlands are affected by salination. Saline soil has a detrimental effect on the development of lateral roots, says plant physiology professor Christa Testerink. “Plants need lateral roots to absorb water and nutrients. The hormone that regulates the growth of lateral roots is called auxin. Salt hampers the plant’s ability to recognise the signals this hormone emits, causing the development of lateral roots to fall short. And fewer lateral roots means the plant’s general health suffers.”
But how is it that some plant species are less affected by salinity stress than others? To answer this question, researchers delved into the molecular mechanism that drives root development in the model plant Arabidopsis, commonly known as thale cress.
“Previous research already revealed that the protein LBD16 serves as a switch between the plant hormone auxin and the development of lateral roots. LBD16 activates the genes responsible for the development of lateral roots. In saline soil, you would expect auxin’s functioning to become impaired, but you would also expect the levels of the LBD16 protein to drop,” said Testerink.
Surprisingly, research showed that the functioning of auxin was severely reduced in thale cress in a saline environment, while the levels of LBD16 rose. “This suggests an alternative route driving the protein, which enables the plant to still produce, albeit fewer, lateral roots in saline conditions,” noted Testerink. “We succeeded in finding this route by uncovering another activator, the ZAT6 protein. This protein takes over auxin’s role as regulator. This discovery provides a critical basis for further studies into similar local molecular networks in lateral roots that help plants function in stressful situations. Not just under saline conditions but also in times of drought or heat. This could help plant breeders to alter the plants’ root growth to create moreresilient varieties.”
The researchers used machine learning in their search for the LBD16 activator. Aalt-Jan van Dijk, a researcher with the Bioinformatics
group, explains how this computational method contributed. “There are tens of thousands of possible candidates that could regulate LBD16 in a plant. You are looking for a needle in a haystack. A more targeted search is made possible by predictions. We fed a machine-learning model with data from transcription factors from experiments. The model then used patterns to predict whether a particular transcription factor regulates another or not. This narrows down the list of possible candidates. Conducting experimental tests enabled us to identify ZAT6 as the new regulator for LBD16.”
Combining experimental data and machine learning is new within the world of plant research, says van Dijk. This approach will be continued in the CropXR research project. “In CropXR, we will join forces with the universities of Utrecht, Delft and Amsterdam (UvA) in the coming decade on fundamental knowledge and methods for the development of more resilient crops. We will use, among other methods, machine learning combined with mechanistic models. These are models containing knowledge of underlying physiological and cellular processes and cause and effect. Predictions made by these models can then be tested with targeted experiments.”
In CropXR, the focus is not so much on salination but on other challenges resulting from climate change, such as heat and drought, says Testerink. “Another paper, currently only available as pre-print, describes our study of root growth in plants subjected to a combination of warm temperatures and water deficit. We uncovered several molecular factors that play a role. But, in order to predict how plants handle this combination of stress factors, a more extensive study is required. In the first five years of the CropXR project, we will focus on Arabidopsis. During the next five years, we will apply the knowledge gained to food crops. We hope this will enable us to develop practicable solutions in collaboration with partners in the field.” ●
Arabidopsis seedlings, arranged from left to right to represent increasing amounts of salt, demonstrate that compared to the wild type (top), the lbd16 mutant (bottom) develops a normal root system under optimal conditions but experiences difficulty in lateral root formation in the presence of sale. Illustration: Eliza van Veen
A promising new form of ammonium phosphate fertilizer has been field-tested by University of Illinois (UofI) Urbana-Champaign researchers.
The fertilizer, struvite, offers a “triple win for sustainability and crop production,” as it recycles nutrients from wastewater streams, reduces leaching of phosphorus and nitrogen in agricultural soils, and maintains or
improves soybean yield compared to conventional phosphorus fertilizers.
According to principal investigator Andrew Margenot, there have been some lab and greenhouse projects showing the potential of struvite, but this is the first field-scale assessment of nutrient loss and yield benefits together. “We found that struvite can be a full substitute for monoammonium phosphate (MAP) or diammonium phosphate
(DAP) for soybeans yield-wise, and it reduces nonpoint source nutrient losses relative to conventional fertilizer options,” said Margenot, associate professor and faculty extension specialist in the Department of Crop Sciences, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at UofI.
Applying MAP or DAP in the fall as a source of phosphorus for crops is
common practice for corn and soybean production in much of the U.S.’s Midwest. But because the phosphorus in MAP and DAP is highly water soluble, much of the nutrient is lost during the ensuing winter and early spring months. Importantly, MAP and DAP also contain soluble forms of nitrogen, an overlooked fact that Margenot says is contributing to the problem of nitrate loss across the Midwest.
“There is a major blind spot in the nitrogen cycle,” Margenot said. “In the U.S. and the Midwest specifically, the overwhelming majority of our phosphorus fertilizers are ammoniated. When farmers buy a phosphorus source to apply in the fall, their options are generally limited to MAP or DAP, so they can't avoid co-applying nitrogen.”
He did the math in a companion paper and found DAP applied at the typical rate (200 pounds per acre) adds 36 pounds of nitrogen per acre that most farmers — and land grant recommendations — don’t account for. Adding it up across Illinois, Margenot estimated that 198 million pounds of nitrogen are added every fall in the form of MAP or DAP.
Struvite also contains nitrogen, but struvite is less water soluble than MAP. That explains why Margenot’s team found phosphorus and nitrogen leaching were significantly lower under struvite than MAP, comparable to natural leaching measured in unfertilized soils. But if the nutrients are less soluble, does that mean plants have a harder time accessing them? Not according to the study. Soybean yields weren’t significantly different under either fertilizer. And in the study’s southern Illinois site, struvite — but not MAP — actually increased soybean yield compared to no-fertilizer control plots. Margenot thinks the yield bump could have resulted from the magnesium in struvite.
Struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate, a 5-28-0 [10 Mg] source) forms when magnesium is added to wastewater, where it reacts with phosphorus and nitrogen and pulls those nutrients out of the waste stream. Chicago and St. Louis have leased portions of their wastewater streams to a company to manufacture the recycled fertilizer, but Margenot says the struvite manufacturing industry is currently too small to satisfy the phosphorus needs of the entire Corn Belt.
“Struvite isn’t scalable right now, but we’re proving the efficacy of a solution that will be on the shelf one day. Our results point to the benefits of scaling up struvite production and use on the farm,” he said.
Although struvite decreased nutrient losses relative to MAP, Margenot notes that nutrient loss happens even without added fertilizer, and recommends cover crops to mitigate these “background” losses that occur regardless of fertilization.
“When we added no fertilizer, be it MAP or struvite, we still saw substantial losses, especially in the higher organic matter Mollisols [black prairie soils] of our Central Illinois site,” he said. “Our soils are so rich; they hold a lot of organic nitrogen and phosphorus. If it's warm enough, these nutrients will mineralize and become nitrate and phosphate. If there's no crop there to grab it, like a cover crop or wheat, then those nutrients will be leached.”
The study, “Field-scale evaluation of struvite phosphorus and nitrogen leaching relative to monoammonium phosphate,” is published in the Journal of Environmental Quality; authors include Patricia Leon, Yuhei Nakayama and Andrew Margenot. Margenot’s companion study, “The fate of nitrogen of ammonium phosphate fertilizers: A blind spot,” is published in Agricultural and Environmental Letters with co-author Jeonggu Lee. ●
Struvite granules.
Photo: UofI
Andrew Margenot, associate professor and faculty extension specialist in the Department of Crop Sciences, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at UofI.
Barley seedlings grow on average 50 percent more when their root system is stimulated electrically through a new cultivation substrate. In a study published in the journal PNAS, researchers from Sweden’s Linköping University have developed an electrically conductive “soil” for soilless cultivation.
A research group led by Eleni Stavrinidou, associate professor at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics at Linköping University, and leader of the Electronic Plants group, has developed an electrically conductive cultivation substrate tailored to hydroponic cultivation which they call eSoil. The Linköping University researchers have shown that barley seedlings grown in the conductive “soil” grew up to 50 percent more in 15 days when their roots were stimulated electrically.
While hydroponic cultivation is common with many crops, such as lettuce, herbs and some vegetables, grains are not typically grown in hydroponics apart for their use as fodder. In this study the researchers show that barley seedlings can be cultivated using hydroponics and that they have a better growth rate thanks to electrical stimulation.
“In this way, we can get seedlings to grow faster with less resources. We don’t yet know how it actually works, which biological mechanisms that are involved. What we have found is that seedlings process nitrogen more effectively, but it’s not clear yet how the electrical stimulation impacts this process,” said Starvrinidou.
Mineral wool is often used as cultivation substrate in hydroponics. Not only is this non-biodegradable, it is also produced with a very energy intensive process. The electronic cultivation substrate eSoil is made of cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer, mixed with a conductive polymer called PEDOT. This combination as such is not new, but this is the first time it has been used for plant cultivation and for creating an interface for plants in this manner.
Previous research has used high voltage to stimulate the roots. The advantage of the Linköping researchers’ “soil” is that it has very low energy consumption and no high voltage danger. Stavrinidou believes that the new studywill open the pathway for new research areas to develop further hydroponic cultivation.
“We can’t say that hydroponicswill solve the problem of food security. But it can definitely help particularly in areas with littlearable land and with harsh environmental conditions.”
The study, “eSoil: Low power bioelectronic growth scaffold enhances crop seedlings growth” is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study was funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation through the Wallenberg Wood Science Centre, theSwedish Research Council, the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research and the Strategic Research Advanced Functional Materials, AFM, at Linköping University. ●
Eleni Stavrinidou (left), senior associate professor and supervisor ofthe study, and Alexandra Sandéhn, PhD student, one of the lead authors, connect the eSoil to a low power source for stimulating plant growth.
Photo: Thor Balkhed
New research from the University of Minnesota found, when combined with artificial intelligence, remote sensing could dramatically improve management of soybean aphid, an invasive pest that negatively impacts soybean yield and quality.
Published in the journal Crop Protection, the study shows that publicly available data from the Sentinel-2 satellite system — a pair of satellites orbiting Earth collecting imagery data — can be used to detect and classify infestations of soybean aphid in commercial fields.
Researchers compared Sentinel-2 imagery of commercial soybean fields with infestation assessments from staff manually counting aphids on plants in those fields. The team used regression analyses to determine if satellite data could detect plant stress caused by aphids. They found that stress to soybean plants caused by soybean aphid can be detected by satellite-based remote sensing; the abundance of soybean aphid was found to significantly affect simulated and actual Sentinel-2 satellite data; and, using a machine learning algorithm called support vector machine, the researchers input actual satellite data and used the AI to accurately determine which soybean fields had high enough levels of aphid infestation torequire insecticide applicationsto protect yields.
The researchers noted that these research findings support more efficient pest scouting methods, increasing the economic and environmental sustainability of soybean production. “The findings of this study can benefit the farmers directly with practical management decisions, and also the scientific community because the methods developed here can be expanded to other studies with multiple pests,” said lead author Arthur Ribeiro, a post-doctoral associate in the Department of Entomology.
Further research is needed to improve the ability to distinguish stress caused by soybean aphid from that caused by other stressors such as drought, disease or other pests.
“This tool provides the groundwork for developing a system to help farmers save time and money by prioritizing fields for more intensive ground- or drone-based scouting, and possibly enabling decision making for individual fields,” said Robert Koch, a professor in the Department of Entomology. ●
Satellites and AI could help farmers detect soybean aphid infestations.
Photo: David Hansen
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Hawaii-based Simonpietri Enterprises LLC a USD$206,500 grant to conduct research on producing organic fertilizer from locally-sourced green waste and wildfire-prone invasive plant biomass.
The company said the grant provides crucial funding to demonstrate the viability of its idea to manufacture fertilizer in Hawaii from invasive and fast-growing plants like guinea grass and koa haole.
For the project, Simonpietri Enterprises has partnered with the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture (CTAHR), native Hawaiian plant nursery and landscape restoration organization Hui Ku Maoli Ola, and the Energy and Environmental Research Center of North Dakota (EERC). The Phase I research accomplished so far has taken invasive guinea grass from a wildfire prevention project done on O'ahu by Hui Ku Maoli Ola, and converted it to biochar and syngas for energy and fertilizer production at the U.S. DOE's National Center for Hydrogen Technology gasification pilot laboratory at the North Dakota EERC. The nutrient products will next be tested in crop trials at CTAHR's Waimanalo and Pearl City research stations as a soil amendment and slow-release fertilizer ingredient.
The DOE grant is supporting physical testing for the Aloha Sustainable Materials Recycling and Fertilizer Facility (SMRFF) facility that Simonpietri Enterprises is developing in Kapolei to divert construction and demolition debris and other organic wastes from landfilling and burning, and instead use that material to make renewable energy, organic fertilizer, recycled-material building products, and other circular economy products.
"Our SMRFF project is small but would be an important first step in Hawaii to build capability to convert wood and green wastes into renewable power, biochar and value-added products like organic fertilizer," said Naomi Kukac, communications and community engagement lead at Simonpietri Enterprises. "We are moving closer to breaking ground on this innovative local circular economy solution." ●
A Tuffet Of Guinea Grass
Agronomics and Economics News
Yara has acquired the organic-based fertilizer business of Agribios Italiana, the company’s second bolt-on acquisition supporting its organic strategy in Europe.
Yara stated that by combining Agribios’ expertise in high-quality organic-based fertilizers in Italy with Yara’s scale and reach in Europe, the company can continue to meet the evolving needs of European farmers, regardless of their farming method.
According to Mónica Andrés Enríquez, executive vice-president for Europe at Yara, soil health is the foundation for resilient crop production and sustainable farming. “This acquisition reflects our commitment to preserve and further improve soil health, helping grow a nature-positive food future,” she noted. “By expanding our existing crop nutrition portfolio in Italy, we can continue to support farmers in making every nutrient count.”
In a news release, Yara stated the acquisition enables the company to maximize the synergies between organic-based and mineral fertilizers, “which is integral to our regenerative agriculture offering. Used in combination, organic and mineral nutrients enhance soil health, improve resource use, increase nutrient use efficiency, and boost crops’ resistance to climate change.”
Agribios has a broad portfolio of organic-based fertilizers produced using animal and agricultural byproducts. Its products can be used in both organic and conventional farming. With a volume of approximately 60,000 metric tons produced in 2022, Agribios has a market share of around 10 percent of the organic-based fertilizer market in Italy.
Yara will also be able to offer Agribios’ products to customers outside Italy thanks to its sales and distribution platform in Europe. In addition to Italy, Yara already sells organic-based fertilizers in many European countries, including France, Spain and Germany as well as in the Nordic and Baltic regions. ●
Turf and ornamental company Huma Inc. has acquired the technological assets of the global granular fertilizer companyGro-Power, Inc.
The acquisition puts Huma in the granular fertilizer market and follows a longtime partnership of Huma supplying high-quality humates for Gro-Power humus-based fertilizer and soil conditioner products. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
In addition to current Huma Plant & Soil products encompassing liquid nutrients, plant protection and growth managers, the company now has the ownership rights to a suite of granular, humic-based fertilizers and soil conditioners.
The acquisition resulted in company veteran Michael Gardner being named the director of Huma Turf & Ornamental.
Through company-owned humate mining rights, along with a proprietary extraction and development process, Huma provides liquid-based fertilizers and specialty products to cover an array of soil needs. All non-granular turf and ornamental products contain Micro Carbon Technology, the foundational building block of Huma. The company maintains this technology results in improved soil and plant health by providing efficient foliar nutrition, promoting root growth and boosting beneficial microorganisms.
Huma was founded in 1973 and is a three-generation, employee-owned company headquartered in Gilbert, Arizona. The former Gro-Power, Inc. started manufacturing humic-based fertilizer and soil conditioner products in 1966. ●
