agricultural “probiotics” - university of florida · 2019. 9. 12. · june 2018 special issue...
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Copyright © 2019 Locus Agricultural Solutions
Agricultural “Probiotics”:✓ Increased Crop Productivity✓ Accelerated Soil Carbon Sequestration✓ Increased On-Farm Profits
June 2018 Special Issue of Industrial Biotechnology
Dedicated to “Agricultural Probiotics”
Cover shot: Florida Strawberry Field
Released at the July. 2018 World Congress of
Industrial Biotechnology in Philadelphia
Great papers and commentary on multiple topics
contributed by many companies operating in this
sector
Editors: Larry Walker and Paul Zorner
Key Conceptual Foundation
Productive Agriculture Starts With Healthy Soil
• Rhizosphere microbiome serves the same immune, nutrition and health function
for plants as the “gut” microbiome does for humans.
• Enriching and supporting this ecologically important population allows crops to
naturally flourish
– Just like probiotics are beneficial for humans, they are also beneficial for plants
Microbial Solutions for Top Agricultural Challenges
4
• Soil degradation• Pest resistance to
chemicals• Consumer concerns
over GMOs• Grower profits
• Chemical residues on food• Movement of inorganic nutrients
and chemicals to sensitive environments
• Climate change
Agricultural productivity and the communities in which we grow our food are experiencing serious challenges from:
New 2000 Year Old Insight
“One thing is sure: the Earth is more cultivated
and developed now than ever before; there is
more farming but fewer forests, swamps are
drying up and cities springing up on an
unprecedented scale. We have become a burden
to our planet. Resources are becoming scarce
and soon Nature will no longer be able to satisfy
our needs.”
How have we avoided disaster?
• Opening new lands
• Technology/Innovation
• Agriculture a climate “hero”-Quintus Septimius Tertullianus
- (Roman politician) 200 BC
The rhizoplane as described in L. Philippot et al. Nature Rev Microbiol 11: 789-799, 2013
Crop Productivity Depends on Microbes
6
Grower’s Practice Rhizolizer®
Improved Soil Healthand Carbon Sequestration
Enhanced Nutrient Uptake
Increased Root Massand Stress Tolerance
Optimized Productivity
Greater Canopy Vigorand Crop Quality
A Multitude of Benefits
C02
“sugars” secreted from roots and feed microbes which then deposit carbon in soil
Locus Ag Soil Probiotic
A customized, non-GMO and organic-certified soil amendment comprised of two microbes:
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Soil fungus that supports root nutrient uptake
Beneficial rhizobacteria that solubilizes nutrients in the soil
Trichoderma harzianum
1. 2.Bacillus amyloliquefaciens
✓ Low Use Rate ✓ Low Cost ✓ Easy Application
Improved Productivity in Trees Impacted By Citrus Greening
10
Citrus Greening Disease
is Devastating Florida Citrus
in annual revenues since early 2000’s
57% Decrease
Treated Groves:
Increased Vigor
Higher Yields
Improved Fruit Quality
While the industry is slowly rebuilding,
it needs effective solutions…
✓ Root mass✓ Tree architecture✓ Young tree growth
✓ Weight✓ Diameter✓ Brix
✓ Pound solids✓ Box weight
Improved Root Growth
Applied bi-monthly; three total treatments
Differences are statistically significant Differences are statistically significant
21
37
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Dry
Ro
ot M
ass (
g/s
am
ple
)
Orange Tree Root MassHighlands County, FL – October
2017
Grower's Practice Rhizolizer
38
69
10
30
50
70
Dry
Ro
ot M
ass (
g/s
am
ple
)
Grapefruit Tree Root MassSt. Lucie County, FL – December
2017
Grower's Practice Rhizolizer
Valencia
Applied bi-monthly; two total treatments
Hamlin
Applied bi-monthly; two total treatments
29.85
40.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
Ave
rag
e W
eig
ht (g
)
Orange Tree Root Mass Collier County – January 2019
Grower's Practice Rhizolizer
20.75
40.1
0
10
20
30
40
50
Ave
rag
e W
eig
ht (g
)
Orange Tree Root MassPolk County – January 2019
Grower's Practice Rhizolizer
Grower’s Practice Rhizolizer
fibrous root mass
Up to
93%increase in
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More roots
Rhizolizer
Grower’s Practice Rhizolizer
Grower’s Practice Rhizolizer
Grower’s Practice Rhizolizer
Grower’s Practice Rhizolizer
Grower’s Practice Rhizolizer
Improved Fruit Quality
2.4
2.6
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
Fru
it D
iam
ete
r (in)
Citrus Fruit Diameter St. Lucie County, FL – October 2017
Grower's Practice Rhizolizer
9.42
10.18
9.00
9.20
9.40
9.60
9.80
10.00
10.20
10.40
Grower's Practice Rhizolizer
Degre
es B
rix (
°Bx)
Citrus Brix MeasurementCharlotte County, FL
380
401
365
370
375
380
385
390
395
400
405
Grower's Practice Rhizolizer
Avera
ge W
eig
ht (g
)
Citrus Fruit WeightCharlotte County, FL
3 total treatments
Differences are statistically significant
3 total treatments
Differences are statistically significant
3 total treatments
Differences are statistically significant
Brix fruit diameter fruit weight
Up to
8%increase in
Up to
8%increase in
Up to
5.5%increase in
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Improves Harvest Yield
Increases Fruit Size
20926
16656
13055
7902 8364
56176379
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019
Grower's Practice Rhizolizer
Weig
ht B
oxes
Harvest Season
Citrus Grower 2 Total Weight BoxesEarly-Mid Juice Oranges
Lake County, FL – 2012-2019
Citrus Grower 3 Productivity Measurement Increases
Pound solids 12%
Brix 9%
Weight boxes 11%
Pound solids/box 10%
14
Improved Harvest Yield
4 total treatments
Differences are statistically significant
8599
9582
12250
7000
8000
9000
10000
11000
12000
13000
Grower's Practice(2016-2017)
Grower's Practice(2017-2018)
Rhizolizer(2018-2019)
Weig
ht B
oxes
Citrus Grower 1 Weight BoxesEarly-Mid Juice
Lake County, FL – January 2019
5617
6379
5200
5400
5600
5800
6000
6200
6400
6600
Grower's Practice(2017-2018)
Rhizolizer(2018-2019)
Weig
ht B
oxes
Citrus Grower 2 Weight BoxesEarly-Mid Juice
Lake County, FL – January 2019
44715 44107
58923
30000
35000
40000
45000
50000
55000
60000
Grower's Practice(2016-2017)
Grower's Practice(2017-2018)
Rhizolizer(2018-2019)
Tota
l P
ounds S
olid
s
Citrus Grower 1 Pounds Solids Early-Mid Juice
Lake County, FL – January 2019
27019
29535
25500
26000
26500
27000
27500
28000
28500
29000
29500
30000
Grower's Practice(2017-2018)
Rhizolizer(2018-2019)
Tota
l P
ounds S
olid
s
Citrus Grower 2 Pounds SolidsEarly-Mid Juice
Lake County, FL – January 2019
weight boxes
pound solids
Up to
42%increase in
Up to
34%increase in
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Improved crop productivity via multiple mechanisms of action.
*Varies by crop
Increases shown by up to:* 34% Citrus
5% Corn
14% Cotton
4% Peanuts
31% Potatoes
9% Sod
22% Strawberries
35% Tobacco Leaf Length
18% Tobacco Leaf Width
40% Tomatoes
34% Watermelon
Increases in yield up to:
Root Mass
Yields
Trunk Diameter
Canopy Density
Brix
Chlorophyll Density
Leaf Tissue Nitrogen Levels
153%
43%
30%
33%
26%
20%
3%
43% Cantaloupe
Positive Results Across More Than A Dozen Crops
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✓Available in 41 states✓OMRI certified ✓Used commercially on > 40k acres
Already 1 billion cells per gram of soil
✓ Metagenomic functionality✓ Quorum Sensing
Improved Soil Healthand Carbon Sequestration
Enhanced Nutrient Uptake
Increased Root Massand Stress Tolerance
Optimized Productivity
Greater Canopy Vigorand Crop Quality
A Multitude of Benefits
C02
“sugars” secreted from roots and feed microbes which then deposit carbon in soil
464 gallonsof gas
1 passengervehicle per year
Applying Rhizolizer to Just 1 Acre of Citrus Trees,4x Per Year Can Offset the GHGs from:
Improved Soil Health and Accelerated Soil Carbon Sequestration
OR
1Acre
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Data is approximated based on 4.38 metric tons CO2 equivalent/acre/year from soil carbon sequestration. Does not include soil GHG reduction results.
*Metric tons CO2 equivalents/acreInitial top trial results compared to grower practices
Locus Ag – SoilCQuest Partnership
• Locus Ag and SoilCQuest collaborating on deployment of soil carbon sequestration technology
• SCQ microbe deposits carbon at levels similar to Locus Ag Rhizolizer® at 4+ metric tons C02e/year/acre soil carbon deposition.
• SCQ microbes provide a great visual example of microbes using secreted plant sugars to fix atmospheric carbon in soil.
David Johnson – New Mexico State University
April 10, 2019
Carbon Removal – A New American Agricultural Product: How Carbon
Farming and Building Soil Health Will Fight Climate Change
Our best shot at cooling the
planet might be right under
our feet
Jason Hickel at The Gaurdian
OCTOBER 5, 2017
Soil holds potential to slow global warming, Stanford researchers find
The land under our feet and the plant matter it contains could offset a significant amount of carbon
emissions if managed properly. More research is needed to unlock soil’s potential to mitigate global
warming, improve crop yields and increase resilience to extreme weather.
Science News
Climate Change Goes Underground
Soil Science Society of America
Amplified Soil Carbon Deposition From Crop-Microbe SynergyCrops become more active carbon “pumps”
2.2%Sequestration in just these five crops alone can reduce annual greenhouse
gas emissions in the U.S. by
231Metric tons of CO2 equivalents/acre annually | Initial top trial results compared to grower practices 2Estimation from the Rodale Institute 3Citrus and grape measurements from Texas A&M, other crops validated by Ramboll
CitrusFlorida
GrapesCalifornia
TurfgrassArizona
AlmondCalifornia 6.2
Increases in CO2e Sequestration Annually
4.4
3.5
3.2
CherriesCalifornia 3.3
tons per acre1
tons per acre1
tons per acre1
tons per acre1
Within three months
tons per acre1
Third-Party Validated Measurements3
How we sequester carbon has a BIG impact.
1 Acre
1 passenger vehicle OR1 passenger vehicle
Applying Soil “Probiotics” to Just 1 Acre of Citrus Trees, 4x Per Year Can Offset the GHGs
1Acre
Data is approximated based on 4.7 metric tons CO2 equivalents per passenger vehicle annually, according to the EPA. Does not include soil GHG reduction results.
OR
464 gallons of gas
✓ Larger root volume✓ More crop canopy and chlorophyll density✓ Increased fungal biomass
Soil carbon credits are now a reality,with the first transaction already completed in Australia
Potential Buyers
Are Expanding
Carbon Credit Market Increasing
In Size And Sophistication
• Voluntary credits at $3-$10 per metric ton• FUTURE Act credits at as much as $35 per
metric ton• Increasing likelihood of “carbon taxes”
being levied world-wide• Growing involvement from major financial
firms (Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley)
• Airlines will be required to offset carbon by 2021
• Public companies are increasingly under pressure from shareholders
• Regulatory barriers are being erected to reduce the carbon footprint of companies expanding their facilities
“Probiotics” Can Generate Significant Carbon Credits and Grower IncomeW
hy I
t M
att
ers
:
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Albert Einstein
“Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking
that created them”
We are at the forefront of simple,
clean solutions to the world’s largest challenges
Copyright © 2019 Locus Agricultural Solutions