​Screening and investigating plant biostimulant potential of various eukaryotic microalgae

Contemporary agriculture has been utilizing tons of chemical fertilizers to increase crop production. Unfortunately, chemical fertilizers accumulate in the environment and have detrimental effects such as disruption of ecosystems, reduction of diversity, pollution of water and even accumulation in the food chain and resulting in health problems to humans.

To overcome this problem, use of microbial inoculations to increase crop yield could be feasible. Growth promoting bacteria and seaweeds have been widely studied as possible candidates. However, eukaryotic microalgae could be the most suitable organisms because they not only produce a plethora of bioactive compounds with many applications, but they can also be incorporated into waste water management and hydroponic systems.

Our research’s goal is to identify species that have biostimulant effects and their most suitable partners in order to achieve synergistic effects for a wholesome application in the fields.