Microbiology provides us with solutions to protect nature by using what it provides us. Hence its role in agriculture. That is why MAFA’s biotechnology team has been incorporating microbiology professionals for years who study the microorganisms present in the ecosystems of the agricultural environment to take advantage of the enormous agronomic value they can have for crops.
Using the benefits of these microorganisms not only allows us to improve plant performance but we obtain many more advantages in the short, medium and long term, such as contributing to restoring the characteristics of the ecosystem and protecting the environment. That is why microbiology has an important role to play in today’s agriculture and, by extension, in the agriculture of the coming years.
There are many reasons to understand the role of microbiology in today’s agriculture, but we are going to focus on 4.
Microbiology is the science that is responsible for studying microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, protists and parasites and other agents such as viruses, viroids and prions. By knowing how these microorganisms interact with the environment, we can better understand what functions they perform in each ecosystem and what type of relationships exist between them and with the other organisms with which they interact.
Microorganisms are the best indicator of the health of agricultural soil
Microorganisms play a key role in agroecosystems, since they are a powerful protection mechanism against phytopathogenic organisms and, in addition, they intervene in functions such as root and plant development.
This role has been especially evident in recent decades, to the extent that certain agricultural practices and the use of chemical phytosanitary products have damaged the soil microbiota, which, let us not forget, is extremely important in the development of crops.
Microorganisms are capable of creating humus from organic matter. What does this mean? A favorable environment for the growth, rooting and thickening of roots, as well as for the formation of a microflora that protects crops from pests and diseases. This is what agricultural microbiology works on.
Understanding microbial biodiversity allows us to take advantage of it
Applying microbiology to agriculture helps us to better understand the behaviour of certain beneficial microorganisms that, for example, are capable of inhibiting the growth of other pathogenic microorganisms in plants or act as PGPR (Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria), that is, promoters of plant growth (especially mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria).
In this way, we take advantage of these tiny living beings that, to the extent that they support agrobiodiversity, are solving some of the problems usually associated with conventional agriculture. In a certain way, applying microbiology to agriculture is contributing to a much-needed balance in the conservation of resources that, if not taken care of, will not allow sustainable agriculture.
Microbiology offers natural solutions and promotes sustainable agriculture
Microbiology allows us to study the microbiome to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the microbial fauna present in soils. And, in this sense, it serves to enhance those beneficial microorganisms that contribute to avoiding the use of agrochemical products and reducing the impact on the soil, which, as we have already mentioned on countless occasions, is essential for plant life.
It allows the recovery of degraded soils and a biodiversity compatible with agriculture
Agricultural sustainability has gained special interest in recent years because it improves the ecological and agroecological balance and, ultimately, benefits us all. But to do so, it is essential to have an adequate knowledge of the ecosystems of the agricultural environment, something that microbiology deals with, insofar as a large part of crop productivity is determined by soil fertility. This fertility is evaluated taking into account its physical characteristics (density, structure, porosity, etc.), chemical (activity of clays, organic matter, etc.) and biological (microorganisms that make up its microflora and microfauna).
Because the interaction of these three characteristics decisively affects the availability of nutrients for plants. In fact, the microbial activity of the soil acts as a regulatory element that provides nutrients to sustainable agroecosystems. And it can, in fact, help to recover ‘sick’ soils so that they can be used for agriculture.
That is to say, using the microorganisms that coexist in the soil with the plant for their own benefit determines that the agroecosystem self-regulates and requires less and less agrochemical products, undoubtedly one of the objectives of current agriculture and a requirement for future agriculture.
