SYDNEY, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Australian researchers have found that using microbial biotechnology in farming could have benefits for soil regeneration, crop yield and carbon sequestration.
Australia's University of Queensland (UQ) said in a news release on Wednesday that in field trials conducted at the university, researchers from UQ and agri-biotech company Loam Bio worked together to test fungal microbes on soybean plants.
These microbes live inside the plants and help them absorb water and nutrients. In return, the plants share carbon with the microbes.
"It's a symbiotic relationship where in return for providing the host plant with nutrients and water, the fungal microbes get carbon as a food," said Vijaya Singh, research fellow at UQ's Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, also the lead author of the research.
This not only increases soil carbon, but also improves soil structure, water retention, and nutrient availability, ultimately leading to higher grain yields, Singh said.
Company researcher Neeraj Purushotham at Loam Bio, which has been developing these microbes for over four years, said early results from the trials were promising, adding the microbes help build stable carbon in the soil, reducing the need for fertilizers while still boosting crop production.
By increasing the amount of carbon sequestered, you're helping the farmer because the healthier the soil is, the less fertilizer you need, Purushotham said.
Published recently in Scientific Reports, researchers said the microbial biotechnology could be a game-changer for farming. ■
