SMARTBIOFERT

SmartBioFert seeks to combat the effects of drought in agriculture through the development of innovative biofertilizers and digital tools to optimize irrigation and execute field trials. The project focuses on the cultivation of Cherry tomatoes, but it could be extrapolated to other crops affected by limited irrigation or water stress conditions.

The innovative nature of this project lies, on the one hand, in the characteristics of the new biofertilizers, as they are based on synergistic PGPR bacterial consortia (Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria), selected for their ability to reduce water stress, fix nutrients, and produce beneficial metabolites for the growth and development of Cherry tomato crops. In addition, the formulation of bioinputs in liquid and solid formats (after their microencapsulation by spray-drying) will be optimized to ensure their stability and effectiveness in the field. On the other hand, a multiparametric digital data platform will be implemented to enable "smart" irrigation monitoring during the field trial and will collect detailed information on climatic conditions, physicochemical and microbiological soil characteristics, production, and crop quality to automate analysis and generate reports that facilitate result interpretation and decision-making, serving as a baseline tool for any other field study with biogeophysical-chemical data.

The development of these innovative social biofertilizers adapted to drought conditions will bring positive impacts of economic, scientific-technological, social, and environmental nature, highlighting the benefits for companies, farmers, and the scientific community from the commercialization and application of the new bioproducts and the digital platform, which will reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and mitigate productive losses under water stress conditions in conventional and organic agriculture, alleviating the negative effects of drought and climate change.

Therefore, this innovative project will contribute to improving agricultural sustainability, promoting the fight against drought by developing biotechnological and technological solutions that enhance water use efficiency and crop resilience to water stress.