Biofilms in Agriculture Report
In collaboration with a group of Argentine researchers, we organised a workshop on biofilms in agriculture, which took place in Los Cocos, Córdoba, Argentina on 24 October 2022.
Executive Summary
Microbial biofilms play a crucial role in the global economy with an estimated value of $5 trillion USD. In the agricultural sector, biofilms are utilised as biofertilizers, biostimulants, soil bioremediators, and biocontrol agents. Despite their potential benefits, there is still much to learn about the complex interactions between biofilms and plants, and how to harness these interactions for enhanced plant growth and disease prevention. A deeper understanding of biofilms in this context is essential for effectively managing and directing microbial communities towards creating a sustainable environment.
The ‘Biofilms in Agriculture’ workshop brought together researchers and industry representatives from NBIC and Argentina, to address this knowledge gap and improve agricultural productivity in both countries by reducing the use of chemical treatments and their environmental impact.
The objectives of the meeting were to:
- Bring together complementary academic / industrial expertise from these countries on exploitation of biofilms in agriculture.
- Identify key knowledge gaps and research challenges in this area of agricultural impact.
- Develop a white paper that establishes priority research areas to address these gaps.
- Create future research collaborations on the use of biofilms in crop production between the UK and Argentina.
The meeting was organised within the framework of the SAMIGE (Argentine Society for General Microbiology) annual congress and was funded by a BBSRC Global Partnering Award.
Publication date: 09/05/2023. Author: The National Biofilms Innovation Centre. https://doi.org/10.5258/biofilms/011