The use of microorganisms in agricultural crops It can reduce the use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, in addition to not polluting the soil and increasing the number of fruits by up to 10 percent and the weight of fruits and vegetables by 30 percent, which improves its commercial size. This is one of the main conclusions of the doctoral thesis defended in la Polytechnic University of Cartagento the doctor Joaquín Ignacio Martínez Moreno, that has obtained the qualification of outstanding cum laude and that is the result of three years of experimentation andn corn and melon farms in Yéchar, in Mula, and Palma del Río, in the province of Córdoba.
As reported by the UPCT, the result of this investigation is clear: “more sustainable crops due to their environmental and economic benefits.” The new doctor, councilor of Cs in the municipality of Molina de Segura, defends the use of bacteria to facilitate the absorption of nutrients since, through biological fertilization, the use of mineral fertilizers is reduced, thus minimizing the amount of nitrates that reach the soil and water, explains Martínez Moreno.
The thesis ‘Study of the effect of the application of Pseudomonas fluorescens on soil properties and nutrient dynamics in corn and melon crops’, directed by doctors Lola Gómez and José Alberto Acosta, from the Agroforestry Engineering area of the UPCT , evidence also the economic benefit of this sustainable agriculture since the use of these bacteria reduces the amount of fertilizers used in the crop and increases the production and weight of the fruits.
The work of Martínez Moreno, a graduate of the School of Agronomists of the UPCT, delves into the environmental problems of chemical fertilization, which has served as the basis for the development of the national regulations reflected in RD 999/2017, which establishes the conditions for the inclusion of microorganisms as fertilizing elements, defining the doses and test conditions that must be met commercial compounds to be registered as fertilizers, and must be demonstrated for each crop, as is the case with phytosanitary products.
The investigations have been developed within one of the lines of work of the UPCT’s Soil and Water Management, Utilization and Recovery Group (GARSA), focused on the use of microorganisms for the improvement of soils and plant growth. The GARSA group works in different lines, all focused on environmental improvement and among which the development of farming systems aimed at sustainable agriculture stands out, with the Diverfarming and Asociahortus projects.
Other lines of research are directed towards sustainability in the management of pig farms, developed in the chairs with Cefusa, Agroporc and the Fuente Álamo City Council; in the decontamination of degraded soils such as the works of the mining deposits of La Unión and the industrial soils of Hondón in Cartagena; or new efficient and sustainable growing systems for nuts in hedgerows with Synergynuts.
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