Futureco Bioscience CEO on Why the Biostimulants Market Will Grow
9 April 2024 AgriBusiness Global caught up with Rafael Juncosa, President and CEO of Futureco Bioscience, to talk about the future of biostimulants and the factors that will lead to growth in this market segment.
ABG: Given the current pace of climate change, in your opinion, what are the most challenging factors or risks that agriculture and crop production will face short term?
Rafael Juncosa: When considering the short-term challenges agriculture and crop production are facing due to the current pace of climate change, several critical factors come to the forefront. Water scarcity is perhaps one of the most pressing issues, with unpredictable availability leading to droughts in some regions and floods in others, directly impacting crop growth and sustainability. Alongside this, we’re witnessing a change in pest and disease pressure as warmer temperatures and altered precipitation patterns expand the habitats of many pests and pathogens, posing significant risks to crop health and productivity.
Another considerable challenge is heat stress, which, due to rising temperatures, can lead to reduced growth rates, poor blooms, flower drop, lower yields, and compromised crop quality. This is particularly concerning for crops not traditionally exposed to such high temperatures, affecting their physiological processes and overall health.
Compounding these issues is soil degradation, where extreme weather events accelerate soil erosion, reducing fertility and water retention capacity, thus challenging sustainable agricultural practices and food security.
Moreover, the synchronicity between crop flowering and pollinator activity is being disrupted, risking pollination success, and leading to reduced crop yields, with broader implications for food production and biodiversity.
ABG: Considering climate challenges, what strategies or solutions can be employed to safeguard agriculture and enhance crop resilience?
Rafael Juncosa, Futureco Bioscience
RJ: Drawing from Futureco Bioscience’s experience, a multifaceted approach is essential to address the challenges climate change poses to agriculture. A key strategy is the integration of biostimulants, which bolster plant resilience to stressors like drought and heat, directly contributing to enhanced crop vigor and yield stability.
Central to our strategy is the Genomaat platform, employing a metagenomic approach to deeply understand the soil’s ecosystem. By analyzing the soil’s microbial community, Genomaat facilitates a tailored, holistic solution that not only boosts plant health and productivity but also nurtures soil biodiversity and restore the crop`s ecological community integrity. This personalized approach ensures that interventions are precisely aligned with the specific needs of each agricultural ecosystem, thereby fostering sustainable practices that are crucial for mitigating the impacts of climate change on agriculture. This comprehensive strategy underscores the importance of embracing advanced scientific tools and technologies to secure a resilient agricultural future.
ABG: What types of biostimulants have shown the most promise in enhancing crop resilience to climate change-induced stressors, and how do they work?
RJ: In the face of climate change, the agricultural sector is increasingly turning to biostimulants as a means to bolster crop resilience against a range of environmental stressors. Among the most promising of these, osmoprotectants like proline and glycine betaine are notable for their ability to help plants maintain cellular water balance under drought and salinity stress, essentially safeguarding cell structures and enzymes and thus enhancing stress tolerance.
Seaweed extracts are another critical group, offering a rich source of antioxidants and hormones such as cytokinins, gibberellins, and auxins. These natural extracts stimulate growth, improve nutrient uptake, and fortify plants against both biotic and abiotic challenges, making them invaluable in stressed conditions.
Humic and fulvic acids contribute significantly to soil health, enhancing structure, water retention, and nutrient availability, which in turn supports more robust plant growth. The interaction of these substances with soil and plant roots stimulates root development and improves overall plant resilience.
Microbial inoculants also play a pivotal role in improving plant health through enhanced nutrient absorption and increased resistance to environmental stresses. These microorganisms can transform the plant’s ability to withstand adverse conditions by bolstering its natural resilience.
Moreover, sun protectant products have emerged as essential tools in managing water use efficiency and protecting plants from the damaging effects of excessive sunlight and UV radiation. By mitigating heat stress, they enable plants to conserve energy and maintain physiological processes under challenging conditions.
These biostimulants represent a confluence of nature and technology, offering the agricultural sector new avenues to enhance crop resilience. As climate patterns continue to shift, the adoption of such biostimulants will be crucial in ensuring sustainable food production and securing our agricultural future.
ABG: The soil plays a pivotal role in managing abiotic stresses in the field. What are the most crucial aspects of soil health to focus on, and why is biodiversity considered the most neglected yet critical area to recover?
RJ: Soil health is fundamental in mitigating abiotic stresses in crops, with its structure, organic matter content, water retention capacity, and biodiversity being key aspects to concentrate on. These elements work together to create a resilient ecosystem capable of supporting plant growth under various stress conditions.
Biodiversity, however, stands out as the most crucial yet often overlooked aspect of soil health. It encompasses the variety of organisms within the soil, including microbes, fungi, insects, and more. These organisms play critical roles in nutrient cycling, pest and disease suppression, and organic matter decomposition. They also contribute to the formation of soil structure and the regulation of the water cycle.
In the context of addressing abiotic stresses, introducing microbial biostimulants like Hydromat and Radisan can significantly bolster soil biodiversity’s role. Hydromat, a microbial biostimulant based on an Ensifer meliloti strain, induces tolerance to water stress, helping plants better utilize available moisture and maintain physiological functions under drought conditions. This capacity is particularly vital in the face of increasing climate variability, improving water use efficiency and ensuring crops can survive and thrive with less water. Radisan focuses on root development by improving the dynamics and function of the rhizosphere. It leverages the metabolites of beneficial bacteria to enhance root growth and structure, facilitating better nutrient and water uptake. The enhanced root system, in turn, supports stronger plant growth and resilience against various abiotic stresses, including nutrient deficiencies and soil compaction. By focusing on these soil health aspects and incorporating innovative solutions like Hydromat and Radisan, agriculture can move toward more sustainable and resilient practices. These strategies not only combat the immediate challenges posed by climate change but also contribute to the long-term health and productivity of agricultural ecosystems.
ABG: Given the essential role of biostimulants in climate-smart agriculture, how can the industry boost confidence in the efficacy and reliability of these products, which remains one of the major barriers to market growth?
RJ: The integration of the “omics”, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics offers a comprehensive understanding of how biostimulants interact with plant physiological pathways to enhance resilience against environmental stresses. Recent advancements underscore the potential of omics technologies to dissect the intricate interactions between biostimulants and plant responses at the molecular level.
For instance, transcriptomic analyses have illuminated the pathways by which biostimulants modulate gene expression, leading to improved stress tolerance, nutrient uptake, and overall plant health. Proteomic studies further complement these findings by identifying specific proteins whose expression is altered in response to biostimulant application, offering insights into the functional mechanisms underlying enhanced crop resilience. Metabolomics, by profiling the wide array of metabolites affected by biostimulants, provides a holistic view of the metabolic adjustments plants undergo to combat abiotic stresses. This approach not only aids in pinpointing the metabolic pathways influenced by biostimulants but also in identifying potential biomarkers for stress tolerance.
This holistic, omics-driven approach represents a paradigm shift in agricultural practices, moving toward more sustainable and efficient strategies to ensure food security in the face of climate change. The application of omics technologies not only advances our understanding of biostimulant-plant interactions but also paves the way for the development of next-generation biostimulants that can precisely address the multifaceted challenges posed by abiotic stresses.
Get The Newsletter Today!
