Juan J Narvaez Reinaldo

Title : Seeds technologies to improve crop yielding

Abstract:

Excessive nitrogen fertilization has led to a widespread problem of nitrate contamination of aquifers. For example 41% of aquifers from catalan region are contaminated by nitrates. With the aim to attenuate this problem, EU announced as a priority environmental objective to decrease the level of nitrate fertilization based on the Directive 91/676/ECC¹.

Different studies have shown that the use of plant growth promoting microorganism and (among them) nitrogen fixers microorganism, they are a powerful tool to reduce the level of external & chemical nitrogen fertilization. In this sense, it is possible to find different successful experiences in the state of the art through the use of bioaugmentation (inoculation of nitrogen fixer microorganisms) and biostimulation (promotion of natural nitrogen fixer microorganisms from soils) techniques².

Seed technology is the technical area composes by different techniques that facilitate the sowing process with the aim to improve the establishment of germinated seedlings. One of those techniques is the seed treatment or seed coating. There are different types of seed treatments: film coating (where seeds keep their original size and weight), encrusting (seeds keep original shape but suffer an increase of their weight) and pelleting (seeds becomes completely spherical and suffer a relevant increase of their weight). In all of them, it is possible to add different active substances (fertilizers, microorganisms or/and phytosanitaries)³.

In the current oral communication, we present the results of two seed treatments developed by Semillas Fitó with the ability to facilitate the nitrogen fixation. The combination of FitoPower™ and FitoOptima™ by encrusting, they allow the bioaugmentation on lucerne/clover seeds with rhizobium and they ensure the nodulation of leguminous crops. On the other hand, the seed treatment named as RootMaximizer™ for broad bean seeds, it has the ability to biostimulate the natural population of rhizobium from soils and, as a consequence, to increase the final yielding.

References:

1. Mencio et al. 2016. Sci Total Environ. 539:241-51.
2. Gopalakrishnan S  et al. 2015. 3 Biotech. 5(4):355-377.
3. Ehsanfar S and  Modarres-Sanavy SA. 2005. Commun Agric Appl Biol Sci. 70(3):225-9.

Biography:

Dr Juan J. Narvaez-Reinaldo's Background is related to the promotion of seedlings under optimum and suboptimum conditions. Since 2014, he is the manager of the seed technology department at Fito Seeds (www.semillasfito.com) with the aim to develop seed treatments (priming, seed coating, seed disinfection & seed sorting) with agronomical value. He and his work with cucurbitaceae, solanaceae, leguminous, corn, sunflower, grasses, turf and forage crops. He and his group have developed different seed treatment brands such as FitoCare, FitoOptima & FitoPower.

Before he got his PhD at the University of Granada. My thesis was focused on the development of biological film coatings (based on the use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria) with the aim to protect seedlings against abiotic stressful conditions (waterlogging, desiccation and contaminated soils).