Foto (AIT/Sessitsch): Brigitte Mitter, Doris Gusenbauer and Nikolaus Pfaffenblichler with ABIM visitors at AIT booth with SEEDJECTION prototyp
22nd to 24th October 2018, Congress Center Basel, Switzerland, the Competence Unit Bioresources presented its latest developments on microbial biofertilizers and –pesticides at the Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM) 2018.
The ABIM an is an internationally recognised, unrivalled meeting place for the biocontrol industry, a the venue at which to discover and unveil new products, discuss market opportunities, present new research, learn about the latest regulatory situation and liaise with fellow professionals from all over the world. The important industry fair hosted more than 1150 participants from more than 500 companies worldwide.
AIT presented for the first time its newest development and patented technology SeedJectionTM, which allows injection of beneficial microorganisms into seeds. This technology, developed by Birgit Mitter and Nikolaus Pfaffenbichler of the HBR team together with INDAT, a machine building company in Lower Austria, raised very high interest by the industry and was several times claimed to represent the greatest innovation presented at the ABIM 2018.
Plant beneficial microorganisms have the potential to overcome limitations we face in modern agriculture. By colonizing plant tissues, they are capable of promoting plant growth, increasing plant resilience to adverse climate conditions or fighting pathogens.
In current agricultural practices, most microbial products are applied as seed coatings or soil amendments. However, with these delivery techniques it is difficult to exploit the full potential of beneficial microorganisms. This is due to low survival rates of many microbes in seed coatings, especially of gram-negative bacteria or the outcompetition of inoculant strains by the rhizosphere microflora leading to poor plant colonization. SEEDJECTIONTM has the potentail to overcome these challenges.
SEEDJECTIONTM is a high-throughput method for incorporating beneficial microorganisms mechanically into seeds. It is a patented and registered technology based on targeted opening of seed surfaces, injection of microbial inoculants into the starch reservoir and subsequent closure of the seeds.