“In the bioinputs market, the main species used include Bradyrhizobium japonicum and B. elkanii, with widespread use in soybean farms…”
André Nakatani is the R&DI manager at Biosphera AgroSolutions, with a degree in biological sciences from the State University of Londrina, and a Ph.D. in agricultural microbiology from ESALQ/USP.
André Nakatani, R&DI manager at Biosphera AgroSolutions
AgriBrasilis – How has the inoculants market evolved so far, and what is its potential?
André Nakatani – The inoculants market has been constantly expanding over the last few years, with an average growth of over 14% per year, according to data from ANPII Bio (National Association of Inoculant Farmers and Importers), representing a market of over 141 million doses sold annually.
This increase is a reflection, among other factors, of the greater adoption of technology by farmers and the increasing search for agricultural practices with a lower environmental impact. A good example is the case of soybeans in Brazil, a crop in which the level of inoculation adoption reached 85% of the cultivated area in the 2022/23 season, while the practice of co-inoculation (combined use of Bradyrhizobium and Azospirillum) reached 35% of the cultivated area. In corn, the adoption rate reached 22.4% of the cultivated area in the same season. These shows that there is still great opportunity to increase the level of adoption of these technologies and expand the inoculants market.
“In order to manufacture high-quality inoculants, extensive knowledge in microbiology, biotechnology and bioprocesses is required”
Bioinputs are expected to be increasingly used in Brazilian farms, and in a wide range of crops, not only soybeans and corn, but also beans, sugarcane, wheat, cotton, coffee, citrus fruits, etc. The industry and public and private research institutions are committed to developing new technologies and innovations, bringing unprecedented solutions to agriculture, with improvements in plant nutrition, physiology and yields, pest and disease control, and mitigation of climate stresses. All of this will be boosted by the arrival of new generations of bioinputs (microbial consortia, multifunctional products, metabolites, proteins, microbial genetic editing and improvement). Biosphera is already conducting advanced research in this area and expects to have some new developments soon.
AgriBrasilis – What are the main species used and in which situations are they recommended?
André Nakatani – In the bioinputs market, the main species used include Bradyrhizobium japonicum and B. elkanii, with widespread adoption in soybean farms and responsible for biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), as well as some more recently adopted microorganisms, such as Azospirillum brasilense, Pseudomonas fluorescens, several species of Bacillus, and fungi, such as Trichoderma harzianum and T. asperellum. All of these microorganisms act through different mechanisms of action, which ultimately provide better plant development and consequently greater crop yields.
These biological agents are mainly used at the time of planting, via seed treatment or applied in the seed furrow. However, depending on the objective, they can be applied via foliar spraying throughout the crop cycle. Azospirillum is a major producer of growth regulators, phytohormones, mainly stimulating the root system. Pseudomonas and Bacillus species are widely recommended as plant growth promoters for a wide range of crops, and some strains also act against phytopathogens and nematodes. Trichoderma aids in promoting growth and acts in disease management. Another aspect worth highlighting is that many of these microorganisms have the ability to mitigate the effects of abiotic stresses on plants, situations that are increasingly common in crops.
AgriBrasilis – How do different soybean genotypes and rhizobium strains affect Biological Nitrogen Fixation?
André Nakatani – More than 300 trials conducted by Embrapa over the last 30 years, comparing early or late cultivars, conventional or GMO, with determinate or indeterminate growth patterns, etc., show that the use of Bradyrhizobium and BNF in soybeans is effective as long as good inoculation practices are followed, such as checking the origin of the inoculant, transporting and storing it properly, following the manufacturer’s technical guidelines, using the minimum bacterial load per seed recommended by research, checking compatibility with other products, avoiding sowing under stressful conditions, etc.
Evidently, new soybean materials will always enter the market. Therefore, research must be ongoing to ensure the success of Bradyrhizobium in Brazil, which is the world leader in this practice. It is known that, although BNF is a low-cost technology with great results, it requires a high level of knowledge.
AgriBrasilis – Why should one invest in Bradyrhizobium elkanii for soybean cultivation?
André Nakatani – There are currently four strains of Bradyrhizobium authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture for the production of inoculants in Brazil: B. japonicum 5079 and 5080, and B. elkanii 587 and 5019. The B. elkanii strains have been used commercially since 1979, with great importance due to the establishment of soybean farming in the Cerrado biome. In the early 90s, Brazilian research, after a program to select new strains, also selected and adopted the two strains of B. japonicum, which have been used successfully ever since, gaining the preference of industry and farmers.
All four of these strains have proven to be efficient in the field and are effective in carrying out the BNF process in soybeans. However, research shows that B. elkanii is more flexible in certain environmental conditions, such as high temperatures, excess or restricted water. This may be beneficial in regions where these conditions occur during crop development.
In stressful situations, there may be hormonal changes in the plant, such as an increase in endogenous ethylene production, which impairs nodulation. This loss can be mitigated by B. elkanii, which has a mechanism for limiting ethylene production that has not been identified in other rhizobium species. Therefore, B. elkanii is an interesting alternative and can be used in conjunction with B. japonicum, especially considering the increasingly frequent scenario of adverse weather conditions. In this context, Biosphera has made the Nitrosphera Fusion product available to farmers, containing B. elkanii 5019 and B. japonicum 5079.
AgriBrasilis – How is it possible to prevent the illegal reproduction and propagation of these organisms?
André Nakatani – This is a shared responsibility among several sectors: regulatory agencies, researchers, industry and consumers. By adopting a comprehensive approach, we can achieve compliance with legislation, continuous monitoring and control, ongoing technological innovation, rigorous technical studies and validations, and safety and results in the farms. This ensures the quality of bioinputs, so that they bring the expected benefits and the gains from their use are visible to the farmers.
The inoculant industry follows strict legal requirements and is committed to quality control, which is its central pillar, from development through production and performance in the farm. In order to manufacture high-quality inoculants, extensive knowledge in microbiology, biotechnology and bioprocesses is required. This rigor and knowledge guarantees the presence of the microorganism of interest, the concentration and purity of the products being offered by the industry.
By maintaining high quality standards, the industry contributes to maintaining the credibility gained by bioinputs over the years and to the growth of this segment, benefiting farmers and the environment.
AgriBrasilis – What is the difference between co-inoculation and the traditional inoculation system in crops?
André Nakatani – Specifically in the case of soybean farming, the traditional method of inoculation, adopted for decades, involved using only Bradyrhizobium at the time of sowing. This bacterium is essential for supplying the nitrogen needed by the crop. More than ten years ago, after research led by Embrapa, the soybean co-inoculation technique was developed.
With co-inoculation, in addition to Bradyrhizobium, Azospirillum brasilense began to be used in the implementation of soybean crops. This technique combined the already known benefits of Bradyrhizobium with those of Azospirillum, an excellent plant growth promoter that improves root development and enhances the performance of rhizobia in soybeans.
Research continues, and there are already more innovations, such as in the case of triple co-inoculation of soybeans: associated with Bradyrhizobium and Azospirillum, a third beneficial bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, is added, with complementary mechanisms. This bacterium, for example, provides greater nutrient availability for soybeans. In this way, bioinputs increasingly bring advantages to Brazilian soybean farming, combining environmental and economic gains. It is worth noting that BioStart, a product from Biosphera, is already on the market, delivering Azospirillum and Pseudomonas in the same package, providing innovation and practicality to farmers.
AgriBrasilis – How do these bacteria affect soil quality?
André Nakatani – The impacts are positive, since, by introducing different beneficial microorganisms into the soil, we are promoting the strengthening of microbial biodiversity, acting on populations of harmful organisms, reestablishing the balance of the agro-system, and providing a more favorable environment for plants to perform their genetic potential.
By adopting this approach, we seek to replicate the conditions present in natural ecosystems, sustained by ecological interactions between microbial populations, where the different species coexist in harmony.
Once in the rhizosphere, these microscopic beings, due to their wide range of abilities, can perform several functions that benefit the soil-plant system, for example: increasing soil fertility, promoting nutrient cycling, acting on soil structuring, producing various bioactive compounds, significantly improving soil health and functioning.
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