Cuba

Good bacteria can help plants and crops

Many soil bacteria can play beneficial roles such as fixing atmospheric nitrogen, producing growth-promoting substances, enhancing stress resistance and increasing the solubility of organic and inorganic phosphate. These microbes, in the right combination, can improve the capacity of plants to resist environmental stress and reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers. This, in turn, can lead to better plant quality and higher yields.

In this project, considered the required first stage of longterm work, researchers conducted a variety of experiments under both controlled conditions and in the laboratory. Among other results, they demonstrated the positive effect of certain bacterial cultures on the plant’s physiology, as well as the best alternative for multiplying and storing useful bacteria. Most significantly, they discovered that the presence of beneficial fungi, in a combined microbial inoculation, directly or indirectly influenced a plant’s development.

On the basis of these encouraging results, researchers hope to conduct further greenhouse and field experiments on the application of combined biofertilizers onto wheat and other cereals such as oat, rye, corn and sorghum. Future experiments should integrate factors that limit plants’ growth such as drought, salinity and acidity.