Biofertilizers: an agroecological alternative for production

HIRSCH, MAILÉN; BURGES, PABLO L.; VILLARREAL, NATALIA M.; MARINA, MARÍA

modalidad virtual

Congreso; VI Congresso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovacao, XXI Encontro Annual de Iniciacao Cientifica da UNIPAR; 2022

Agroecology is a discipline that provides the basic ecological principles to study and manage agroecosystems that are productive and economically viable, and at the same time be conservative of natural and cultural resources and socially fair. Application of beneficial microbiomes as biofertilizers or bio-inputs in agroecology practices has emerged as innovative and environment friendly technology for improving soil fertility and plant growth. In the last years, in the context of environmental protection and increased demand for chemical-free food products, increasing numbers of producers in Argentina and many other countries started to make biofertilizers in their establishments. These products made from plant remains, animal manure or milk, bacteria, and fungi are applied in agricultural production as alternatives for crop nutrition in a more ecological, sustainable, and accessible way, allowing more stable crop production and prices. Biological inputs have the advantage of maintaining the macro and micronutrients of the soil through processes such as nitrogen fixation, the solubilisation of phosphates, mineralization, the contribution of substances that regulate plant growth, the production of antibiotics, and the biodegradation of organic matter. Our working group has spent the last years studying the beneficial bacteria that interact with plants as well as their effects on them. In addition, during the last year we have been carrying out a project to characterize bio-inputs for agroecological use, reinforcing knowledge about this area of study.