Legume Technology

Legumes play a crucial role in agriculture: essential proteins and environmental benefits. But legume cultivation in Europe has always lagged…which is one reason why we import so much soy. So we’re watching with interest a new project, BELIS, which aims to ‘bridge the gap’ by leveraging new breeding techniques and encouraging more collaboration between researchers and those at the sharp end of the industry. - BELIS: Breeding European Legumes for Increased Sustainability - Building a firm base for the legume breeding community - Consortium of 34 partners from 18 countries - Aims to tackle the most pressing challenges in breeding research and variety production - Focus on seven forage crops and seven grain crops - Funded by Horizon Europe Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eSwXH8pn #innovation #research #legumes #sustainability #protein #environment #plantbreeding

Could soybeans be a ‘saviour’ crop for Hungarian farmers? Our distributor in Hungary, Tibor Garamszegi, says years of low prices for the traditionally staple crops of wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and oilseed rape have seen the soybean area nearly double in just two years, as farmers scramble to meet demand for soy. They’re also firmly locked in to the ‘superhero power’ of soy: its ability to grow without nitrogen fertilizer, thanks to rhizobial inoculants such as LIQUIFiX. “Pleasingly, they’ve spotted the inherent quality of the LIQUIFiX product and recognise that its fair pricing represents a valuable return on investment,” he says. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ekPxYtee #inoculants #soybeans #agriculture #hungary #staplecrops #soy #nitrogen #sustainableagriculture

Can biological inoculants provide an eco-friendly approach to disease control? Researchers from the Indian Institute of Seed Science say they can, following a study into the use of various Bacillus strains to deal with rice false smut, caused by a soil-borne fungal pathogen. They say that Bacillus is well-known as a plant growth promoter: - Phosphate and Zinc solubilisation - Production of IAA - Ammonium - Siderophore and chitinase production But that role can now be supplemented by its ability to act as a biocontrol agent: application of a Bacillus bioformulation revealed a 20% decrease in disease incidence, a 60.5% increase in the biological yield, and a 45% increase in grain yield, while improving grain quality and reducing chaffiness. We’re not surprised: our own research has shown how treating crops with Bacillus can enhance their innate immunity. This better defence displays as slower or stopped development of pathogens. Our own Bacillus product is the biostimulant ROOTFiX. https://lnkd.in/eeVs5C6g #bacillus #biostimulants #inoculants #pathogens #cropdisease #plantgrowthpromoters

‘Nodule-crushing’ could help improve smallholder farmers’ use of inoculants, says a paper from researchers at the University of Guelph. Access to quality, viable rhizobial inoculants in Africa can often be limited – it’s why we’ve received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , to develop smallholder-friendly packaging to make use of high quality strains more routine. But as an interim measure, nodule-crushing – where nodules from the previous crop are used to inoculate seeds for the new crop – could be a feasible method of encouraging greater inoculant uptake amongst smallholder farmers. The paper cites real-world trials, in field soil, where shoot yield, chlorophyll and nodule number and biomass were all improved after four cycles of nodule-crushing. But there’s still a lot of unknowns: farmer education, selection, its efficiency across different crops, optimal size of nodules, the best seed:nodule ratio, and so on. Despite all this, we’re excited to see another project emphasising the importance of inoculants in being able to transform yields, productivity and returns for smallholder farmers. It’s the way forward and one in which we’re delighted to be involved. https://lnkd.in/e9njatbp #nodules #nodulecrushing #smallholderagriculture #africanagriculture #sustainableagriculture #inoculants

Germany’s soy acreage has reached around 50,000 ha. It’s an impressive figure, but many believe Germany’s climate and soils could support an area of up to 500,000 ha. One of those is Fabian Beesten, founder of LegumiN and one of Legume Technology’s European distributors. He’s keen to help address the legume ‘knowledge gap’ – not just with regard to inoculant selection and usage, but all leguminous agronomy advice. Read more about his ambition to contribute to the success of legume production in Europe, and how he’s found beauty in legumes: https://lnkd.in/e3FBg8n3 #germany #inoculants #soybeans #legumes #sustainableagriculture

A market research study has called for increased quality standards from microbial inoculants, as it recognises the category as ‘the next frontier of innovation’. Increasing the microbial count of inoculant products, and eliminating contaminants, are amongst two of the factors that could help drive up quality standards, improve efficiency, reduce in-field variability and increase farmers’ confidence in inoculant use, says the report from Markets & Markets, which predicts a global market worth US$907m by 2027. But we’re already there: quality has always been at the forefront of Legume Technology’s product range. Our axenic production line ensures that our products, like ROOTFiX and LEGUMEFiX, contain everything they should, and nothing they shouldn’t. At up to 1 x 1010 CFU/ml, our products comfortably stand out in the marketplace. And it’s not just numbers: we select strains which, in combination, will provide the best benefit to the plant AND comfortably outcompete any ‘wild’ strains already present in the field. LT’s products are therefore ready for this growing market! https://lnkd.in/e22m77Fi #inoculants #agriculture #sustainableagriculture #quality

Zinc makes legumes more FUN. Yes, it’s true. Scientists at Aarhus University and La Trobe University have made a breakthrough discovery about how legumes use zinc – and it’s all to do with legumes’ well-known biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) properties. Zinc plays a crucial role in BNF as a secondary regulation signal, the first time it’s been identified as such. The sensor is a transcriptional regulator known as Fixation Under Nitrate (FUN). When FUN is activated, it controls genes that shut down nitrogen fixation, the Enabling Nutrient Symbioses in Agriculture (ENSA) project found. ENSA, which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found that when FUN was removed, nitrogen fixation was no longer shut down by the plant. Researchers hope further investigation of the zinc-FUN mechanism will help increase nitrogen delivery and further reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers. https://lnkd.in/emSP4_FN #zinc #legumes #rhizobia #nitrogen #BNF #sustainableagriculture #fertilizer

We knew we were doing something right when we launched our Bacillus-based inoculant, ROOTFiX, after years of our own research and collaboration with our academic and institutional partners. But there’s nothing like seeing others find the same results! Delighted to see this paper from a team comprising researchers from UM6P - Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Morocco, and University of Guelph – one of our partners. Their study tested the effect of phosphorus-solubilising microorganisms (PSM) such as Bacillus. The P status of legumes, particularly nodules, as well as P availability in the rhizosphere – the soil immediate surrounding the plant’s roots – play a vital role in regulating biological nitrogen fixation. They found PSM increase plant-available P by modifying soil processes and by promoting plant traits – effects consistent with our own research. https://lnkd.in/e5DQi7_T #biologicalnitrogenfixation #legumes #bacillus #phosphorus #rhizosphere

Bruce Knight, Legume Technology co-founder and CEO, talking to Chemtai Kirui from Kenya’s KassMedia. A quick overview of how LEGUMEFiX, our rhizobium inoculant, improves soil fertility and increase crop yields for Africa’s smallholder farmers – based on in-country trials (this year taking place in Uganda and Tanzania) and experience in 14 African countries. Yield increases are at least 20% and sometimes up to 80%. https://lnkd.in/eFH-4zG7 #legumeinoculants #rhizobium #africa #smallholderagriculture #groundnuts #phaseolus #soybeans

The second day at Euroseeds congress is well underway with interesting meetings with new and existing partners!