The first finalist of the "Brazil Microbiome Challenge" selected

The first stage of the second edition of the ‘Desafio Microbioma Brasil’ (DMB) took place on the 19th. The first event evaluated experiments in the Cerrado Oeste region. Henrique Trevisanuto, representative of PA Consultoria, presented the winning work. The experiment was conducted in Diamantino, Parecis region, Mato Grosso, in soybean cultivation. The proposal was to analyze the effect of biological fertilizer produced with Microgeo in different forms of application in soybean crops and under water stress conditions.

“It was an experience focused on this harvest, which was very challenging for soybean cultivation, and we were very surprised that biological tools brought us high results of more than 10 bags per ha. These are very expressive numbers. We concluded that biological fertilization increased the plant’s ability to withstand adversity”, said Trevisanuto.

DMB, created by the founders of Microgeo️, a 100% Brazilian company in the biological sector, is a pioneer in the country and was inspired by the “Plant Microbiome Symposium”. Aimed at research institutions and consultants in the agribusiness sector, the objective of the challenge is to encourage discussions about the importance of the soil microbiome in agriculture. Furthermore, the proposal is to share with farmers across the country the results obtained with the use of biological fertilizer made through Microgeo Biotechnology, on participating properties in 4 regions of Brazil, for the practice of sustainability in agribusiness.

“In the first regional stage we were able to see the plurality of experiments, objectives and field results achieved with the use of Microgeo Biotechnology. It is proof that managing the soil microbiome brings benefits that meet production needs, sustainability and the perpetuation of agricultural activity”, highlights Paulo D´Andréa, Director of Research and Development at Microgeo.

The Challenge's regional evaluation panel was made up of experts: Dr. Rosangela Silva, researcher at Fundação MT and Dr. Edicarlos Damacena de Souza, professor at the Federal University of Rondonópolis.

“This type of initiative, like the Challenge, is very important because we are able to bring research closer to dissemination, so that many of the actions have a scientific but applied basis. This makes it easier for the technology to reach the producer, and when you involve technicians with a panel of researchers, you can refine and improve these experiments, in order to obtain increasingly accurate results”, said professor Dr. Edicarlos Damacena de Souza.

For Dr. Rosangela Silva, “the use of biologicals in agriculture is already a reality. This research is important to understand the form, to know the right time, the right dose of application. And that’s what works like these show us.”

In this edition there was an increase not only in the number of participants, but also in the diversity of cultures conducted in field experiments. 42 consultancy works were registered in the stages: Cerrado Oeste, Cerrado Leste, South/Southeast and an exclusive stage for Sugarcane.

The winners of the regional stages will compete for the National stage, where the winner will participate in the next edition of the Plant Microbiome Symposium, scheduled for 2022 in Scotland.