Placing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the risk assessment test battery of plant protection products (PPPs).

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are mutualistic symbionts considered a key group in soil systems involved in the provision of several ecosystem services. Recently they have been listed by EFSA as organisms to be included in the test battery for the risk assessment of plant protection product (PPPs). This study aimed to contribute to improve the ISO Protocol (ISO 10832: 2009) by assessing the feasibility of using other AMF species under different test conditions. Overall, results showed that AMF species Gigaspora albida and Rhizophagus clarus (selected out of five AMF species) are suitable to be used in spore germination tests using the ISO protocol (14 days incubation with sand or artificial soil as substrate) to test PPPs. However, several modifications to the protocol were made in order to accommodate the use of the tested isolates, namely the incubation temperature (28 °C instead of 24 °C) and the change of reference substance (boric acid instead of cadmium nitrate). The need for these changes, plus the results obtained with the three fungicides tested (chlorothalonil, mancozeb and metalaxyl-M) and comparisons made with literature on the relevance of the origin of AMF isolates in dictating the adequate test conditions, emphasize the importance of adjusting test conditions (AMF species/isolates and test temperature) when assessing effects for prospective risk assessment targeting different climatic zones. So, further studies should be conducted with different AMF species and isolates from different climatic regions, in order to better define which species/isolate and test conditions should be used to assess effects of a particular PPP targeting a given climatic zone.

Coinoculation impact on plant growth promotion: a review and meta-analysis on coinoculation of rhizobia and plant growth-promoting bacilli in grain legumes.

Coinoculation of symbiotic N2-fixing rhizobia and plant growth-promoting Bacillus on legume seeds can increase crop productivity. We collected highly resolved data on coinoculation of rhizobia and bacilli on 11 grain legume crops: chickpea, common bean, cowpea, faba bean, groundnut, lentil, mung bean, pea, pigeon pea, soybean, and urad bean to verify the magnitude of additive effects of coinoculation in relation to single inoculation of rhizobia on plant growth and yield of grain legumes. Coinoculation of rhizobia and bacilli on legume seeds and/or soil during sowing significantly increased nodulation, nitrogenase activity, plant N and P contents, and shoot and root biomass, as well as the grain yield of most grain legumes studied. There were however a few instances where coinoculation decreased plant growth parameters. Therefore, coinoculation of rhizobia and Bacillus has the potential to increase the growth and productivity of grain legumes, and can be recommended as an environmental-friendly agricultural practice for increased crop yields.

Preinoculation of Soybean Seeds Treated with Agrichemicals up to 30 Days before Sowing: Technological Innovation for Large-Scale Agriculture.

The cultivation of soybean in Brazil experienced an expressive growth in the last decades. Soybean is highly demanding on nitrogen (N) that must come from fertilizers or from biological fixation. The N supply to the soybean crop in Brazil relies on the inoculation with elite strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum, B. elkanii, and B. diazoefficiens, which are able to fulfill the crop's N requirements and enrich the soil for the following crop. The effectiveness of the association between N2-fixing bacteria and soybean plants depends on the efficacy of the inoculation process. Seed treatment with pesticides, especially fungicides or micronutrients, may rapidly kill the inoculated bacteria, affecting the establishment and outcome of the symbiosis. The development of technologies that allow inoculation to become a successful component of industrial seed treatment represents a valuable tool for the seed industry, as well as for the soybean crop worldwide. In this article, we report the results of new technologies, developed by the company Total Biotecnologia Indústria e Comércio S/A of Brazil, for preinoculation of soybean seeds with bradyrhizobia, in the presence of agrichemicals. Our results demonstrate improved bacterial survival for up to 30 days after inoculation, without compromising nodulation, N2-fixation, and yield in the field.