Terres Inovia present at the Plant2Pro meetings on biostimulants
Terres Inovia present at the Plant2Pro meetings on biostimulants
What's new at the Plant2Pro Science and Partnership Meetings ? This year's event, organized by the Carnot Institute, took place in Sophia Antipolis and focused on biostimulants, with the theme "Root symbioses for plant nutrition and protection". Numerous presentations provided an update on the state of scientific knowledge.
The effectiveness of products, an essential criterion
A round-table discussion brought together representatives from industry, the Public Investment Bank (BPI), the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (DGAL), INRAe and Terres Inovia.
The interventions underlined the complexity of a definition of a biostimulant. However, the legislator must be as precise as possible in the face of scientific knowledge that is still fragmentary and more nuanced. A reminder of the history of Rhizobium inocula underlined the need for well-documented product quality. The European standards being developed in the framework of the 2019 directive seem to be moving in this direction. Its translation into French law at the end of 2020 has allowed the first specific MAs, even if those previously not qualified as biostimulants remain unclear.
Xavier Pinochet, a scientific expert from Terres Inovia, spoke at the round table. He reminded us of the importance that should be given to the criterion of effectiveness of the proposed products for the farmer. "For this, it is necessary to work on product evaluation methods, in conjunction with public research on the mechanisms involved, in order to be able to define suitable instructions for use and to use this type of product appropriately".
Review of the actions of Plant2Pro partners
During the second day, various presentations illustrated the activities of INRAe's UMRs and their partners in the framework of Plant2Pro projects and the Symbiophyt network, dedicated to symbioses and microbial communities associated with plants, in which Terres Inovia participates. The researchers highlighted the contribution of new molecular tools for the study of communities. This raises new questions and allows us to consider differently the contribution of microorganisms to the growth of plant cover.
Two INRAe spin-offs were presented:
-Mycophyto, in Sophia Antipolis, carries out mycorrhization diagnostics and then reinforces populations from local taxa, for different types of production: lavender, roses, olives, vineyards.
- Seed in tech, based in Versailles, is developing a smart-priming system to ensure very high germination rates of over 95% over time.
These two days gave rise to numerous contacts and discussions, in particular during the B to B meetings that closed the seminar.
Finally, posters presented the services offered by the different members of the Carnot: IFV, Arvalis, INRAE and Terres Inovia.